voco Edinburgh - Haymarket by IHG — Hotel in City of Edinburgh

I stayed at this hotel for four nights for a city break in Edinburgh.

The location of the hotel is really close to Haymarket station. It’s about a ten minute walk to Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle so overall quite central. There are good links from the airport with the tram & bus stopping at Haymarket too.

We arrived on the Wednesday morning but check in wasn’t available but they offered to hold our bags as we explored the city. The facade and reception of the hotel was gorgeous and modern. Really airy and luxurious. We came back at 1500 and checked in. The staff were very friendly and happily answered any questions we had.

We stayed in a premium room with the jacuzzi. The room is so elegant, immaculate and equip with lots of amenities. Although the room is on the smaller side and the bed isn’t a king size bed but a queen - they have utilized the space well and the room doesn’t feel cluttered like some hotels with a similar size room and the bed is comfy! I love the way they gave you a reusable glass bottle of water as Scottish water is so lovely which was refilled every time the room was refreshed. The bathroom is lovely with a gorgeous rainfall shower however there were a few faults I found throughout my stay! There are no handrails to hang your towel so you have to put it over the bath or hang it up on one of the pegs in the bathroom, there isn’t a shelf in the shower to put the shampoo or hair conditioner which is frustrating as I don’t wash my hair in the bath. There isn’t a door to stop the rain water coming out while you’re in the shower so the floor might be soaked when you come out! The jacuzzi is only big enough for one person and a bit awkward to sit in if you’re taller than the average person but a nice experience nonetheless.

I was quite concerned about the reviews of the restaurant as I had breakfast included in my rate but I had zero problems. We were quickly seated and the waiters/waitresses were so friendly. We had drinks within a few moments of being seated including tea coming with milk & sugar. I had the full Scottish which took about 10 minutes to come and it was delicious! I was in-and-out of the restaurant for breakfast within 30 minutes. I do not have any complaints about the breakfast there however I didn’t dine there for dinner so I can’t comment on that.

It was my partner’s birthday and the staff did a wonderful job helping me surprise him by decorating the room with balloons, writing him a card and leaving cake I purchased for him out on the table. I was very impressed.

Overall, I really enjoyed my stay here and I would definitely stay here again when I...

My partner and I stayed in the hotel for 2 nights. We were returning from our campervan trip around Scotland so when we arrived there was nowhere to park to drop of our luggage so we tried stopping in the front of the adjacent building but were told to move but when we asked where to park they just said on the pavement which is not ideal. When checking in the staff were lovely and friendly and

very helpful with any questions. When we got to our room it was really nice and clean and there was a welcome message on the tv which was a nice ttouch. We had a 2 course meal on the first night which was ok but the portions were a bit small and my partner’s potatoes were hard but apart from that it was ok. Breakfast was a bit chaotic as when we arrived the restaurant was covered in pots which spoilt the environment as it’s a very nice space. we

waited a long time for drinks then they were cold so and then our breakfast took ages. My partner and I have worked in catering so we thought someone must have rung in sick as the staff were struggling and were trying there best to clear up and serve at the same time. One male member of waiting on staff was excellent and was really organised and tried his very best to help and get our breakfast but when it arrived you could tell it had been on the hot plate for a while as the beans were dry but the breakfast itself was lovely and well cooked. The next day breakfast was unfortunately the same we arrived to the same scene of tables full of pots and we waited a long time again. My partner got her breakfast and I had to wait for my breakfast which was porridge which didn’t arrive till 10 mins afterwards. We discussed this between ourselves and said that the staff were really good but there just was not enough of them to clear tables and offer the best service for the guests. Another thing that was a bit annoying a couple of guests arrived over 30 mins late and were allowed to have breakfast and as the rush had declined they had there breakfast really quick and was a bit annoying as we arrived promptly and our service was not great. I can’t fault the staff as they were very obliging and apologetic but it was just a lack of staff to serve the amount of guests. We did have a few issues with the key cards not working but to be fair the hotel had only been open a month so they were still having teething problems. I would recommend the hotel as it was lovely but they need some time to sort out the teething problems then it will be an...

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here in Edinburgh. The hotel itself was great, but the staff made the experience that much more enjoyable for our one-week stay in late October. A few thoughts in no particular order:

1. The breakfast was outstanding. Large portions of a wide variety of delicious food. It's buffet style, and ranges from light breads, cereals, and fruits/cheeses to all the makings of a full Scottish breakfast! The service staff was so kind and welcoming.

2. Front desk staff: exceptional. Everyone was so welcoming, friendly, and helpful. We arrived hours before check-in due to our flight arrangements and Prit and the others at the desk were so accommodating. Also had great interactions with Calum from getting recommendations for restaurants to requesting maintenance to retrieve an earring that fell into the bathroom drain. On that note, kudos to the maintenance staff as well!! Really a top-notch team at the front desk.

3. The room - very comfortable, well decorated, and perfect for our needs. We stayed in the two twin with sofa bed. The sofa bed was pulled out and made up on our arrival. The two twin beds are directly next to each other and can be pushed together, but note they have separate blankets and CAN roll apart - so just know not to expect this will be exactly like having a king bed. :) Housekeeping was overall good, but a couple of days was inconsistent in either not servicing the room or not providing enough towels, but these were insignificant issues for us.

4. Location - great! Short walk to the tram; easy to get to Edinburgh Castle area and Royal Mile, Prince's Street, and plenty of restaurants/shopping. Also easy to get taxis. There is so much to do within a 15 minute walk or less. VERY easy access to EICC, the Edinburgh International Convention Center.

We loved Edinburgh and we loved the Voco. When we return, I don't foresee any reason to look anywhere else...