Sonder Royal Garden Apartments New Town — Local services in City of Edinburgh

CREEPY!!!! Horrendous moldy smell. We had the misfortune of spending 5 nights at the Sonder Royal Garden Apartments in Edinburgh. The 4.6 star reviews clearly pertain to the apartments on the upper levels. After taking the elevator down 1 floor we then embarked on the dark labyrinth to descend an entire flight of steps into the DARK mold-smelling ground floor/basement. The next challenge was to navigate a dark foyer into our apartment #106. Although it was in the middle of a bright afternoon the light in the foyer was out, making it difficult to see the keypad. Upon entering the apartment, with the exception of the moldy smell, the low ceilings, and minor stains on the bedroom carpet, the apartment appeared to be recently renovated. Upon further inspection, there was no shade for privacy on the living room window. There was black mold along the top of the bathtub, and the bathroom vent was encrusted in dust. We were definitely not comfortable with this one bedroom garden apartment. At $367.00 a night we felt the description and photos were blatantly deceiving. We immediately returned to the reception area to express our dissatisfaction and inquire about any other available apartments. We were told that we would be contacted the next day regarding the possibility of moving to a studio. Also, that someone would install a shade. Not to our surprise, we were never contacted to discuss any of our concerns, nor was a shade installed. The missing shade was mentioned in previous reviews and yet, still not addressed....Really, what is the deal???? We were able to make a window covering out of a throw that we found in a closet, this was then attached to the existing hardware for the missing shade. (The apartment overlooked “the garden” and during our stay numerous people were standing directly outside our window.) In addition to the window treatment, we also had to adjust the chain on the door's security lock due to a bent open link. The furniture is VERY cheap and extremely uncomfortable, including the hard bed. The bedroom window did have a shade, however, it was torn. The decayed and dirty window frame was sloppily covered with white paint. Our next adventure was to use the washer/dryer. The fact that there was a large drying rack in the closet was an indicator of what was to come. Since there were no instructions, we spent time searching for the manual online and started our laundry. After following the instructions, at the end of the 2 hour process our clothing came out steamy and soaked. Every closet had a moisture absorbing container. The kick panel below the dishwasher was missing. The internet connection was terrible. The Wifi signal level was very low and only intermittently usable.

The PROS: excellent location, linens were clean and crisp and it was quiet except for the constant hum of the equipment directly outside of the bedroom window.

I do not write negative reviews but felt compelled to because of the egregiously deceptive description and photos on the website. The photos falsely lead you to believe that all the apartments are above ground/basement level. I have traveled extensively and have stayed in many historic accommodations. I never expected to spend time in a smelly, awful place like this. Upon check out, the employee was very pleasant and was shocked to hear of our experience. At that point, it was too little, too late. Why wasn't our dissatisfaction relayed? We made the decision to stay and cope because we had previously planned full day trips and did not have the time to relocate. Sonder Royal Gardens is affiliated with Marriott which I have found to have high standards. In my opinion, this apartment is not suitable to be occupied.

Shame on you Marriott Bonvoy!!! You are...

Unfortunately we were very unhappy with our stay at Sonder Royal Garden. For the price of the accommodation we expected better. The property was extremely difficult to navigate and not very accessible. We were never told we would have to navigate 5 flights of stairs (35 in total), 7 doors and at least five corridors. With heavy suitcases and children this was near impossible and not user friendly. We are fit people and struggled to get down to our room. Also anytime you needed the reception you had to navigate the maze of confusing corridors. There is a lift but it only goes down 1 flight of stairs leaving the remaining 4 flights to carry bags. Upon arrival to our room we found hairs in the bathroom and found the condition of the apartment tired. Chipping paint, squeaky doors and uneven floors. The thermostat seemed to be inconsistent sometimes overheating and other times too cold, even after we got it checked. The blinds in the master were broken and there were no blinds in the living room that looks out onto a garden meaning there was not an option for privacy in the evening. When we were paying almost $800 a night we would have expected a higher calibre of accommodation. The pictures in the website are a little deceiving. We have taken photos of the areas we have highlighted that need improvement if required. The few times we interacted with staff they were as helpful as they could be under the circumstances. We would not recommend this hotel to others at this...

We stayed two nights at the Sonder Royal Gardens, Edinburgh. On arrival, we were very happy with the two-bedroom apartment. It was well stocked and mostly clean. (The carpets and bed headboard had some nasty looking stains on them.) The first night, was horrendous. After getting into bed and falling asleep quickly, I was then awakened shortly after by what felt like someone physically shaking me awake. It became apparent that trucks thundered past every few minutes. Not only being very loud, but, more disturbingly, shaking the bed every time they did. This went on all night. We were on floor 4, so only the first floor of the building as 3 is ground level. You could have a conversation with the people on the top level of the buses passing. This is fine in the day but definitely not at night. I did then complain to reception, and explain I didn’t get a wink of sleep, who looked into it and called me later in the day. They offered a room change at a cost of £75. I found that offensive considering the terrible night I had and refused to pay extra for a room I hadn’t seen, especially after reading reviews about basement apartments with no windows, mould and rats. We also had dreadful trouble with the wifi, which kept cutting out. The kids were unable to watch any streaming services on their phones or the tv. I won’t be returning. If you’re looking at this hotel, don’t do it. Stay at the...