Edinburgh City Centre Bruntsfield Hotel

We stayed here for several nights in early March 2025. It was our first trip to Scotland, and we were looking for a place with some charm. My husband found this online. After some investigation, he declared this was where he wanted to stay. It was in a quiet neighborhood, across the street from a park, away from the noise of the city center, but not too far so that we could still easily call a cab to take us where we wanted to go within a few minutes. What was most surprising was that when we made our reservations, we found that it was actually part of the Best Western hotel chain! It's certainly several steps above most Best Western properties in the United States. The beds were very comfortable, and for an extra £12.50 per night you can get a full breakfast - you can opt for the generous buffet, and you can also order a hot meal made to order in addition to that. The front desk staff was always happy to call a cab for us (and that was our sole means of transportation throughout our stay, so we asked them to do so a great number of times). We never had to wait more than five minutes for one to arrive. We would definitely stay at this property again.

This property was in a great location next to the park and main shopping and dining area. Best of all, it was a great deal. A little separated from the busier area, but still walking distance from everything. Check in was easy. Paid £16 for parking. Luckily, we didn’t have any issues finding a parking spot in their busy parking lot in front of their hotel. The room was clean and updated. Only complaint in the room was that the faucet had two different nozzles; very hot or very cold water, nothing in between. Provided waters and traditional Scottish snacks in the room, which was nice. Espresso maker was a plus. Only complaint we had was that we had to take stairs from the elevator to get to our room, which was difficult with our very heavy bags. It was a strange Alice in Wonderland stairs situation. Other than that, it was a great stay!

We enjoyed our stay at the Bruntsfield Hotel in Edinburgh. The location is good, near a park and in walking distance from the historic city center. The rooms very quite big, well equipped and comfy. The breakfast was good, with decent choice at a buffet and a la carte options as well. I can recommend trying the full Scottish breakfast. The service while not lacking in anything somehow just didn’t meet my expectations for a 4 star hotel. It’s difficult to put my finger on it, and it might be a general way in Scotland as we had similar experience in other hotels during our stay. Which is a shame as all in all it’s a great place to stay, maybe just a bit more attention to the guests would elevate the whole experience to the next level.

My husband and I stayed here as part of a little UK road trip and booked via Voyage Privé. This A visually beautiful hotel within walking distance of Edinburgh Castle, out the front door, turn left and you already get a view, it was perfect how central it was! The reception staff were incredibly friendly and gave us the necessary information upon check-in, however, we were not advised when or where breakfast would be the following morning, at the information is not covered in the welcome email that is provided to replace paper within the room (which is a great idea). In the reception area there is chilled water and Tunnock Tea Cakes to help yourself to, a very welcome treat! The room itself was large, airy and spacious, very modern with some decent lighting and good quality dark furniture, a Nespresso machine and bottled water. We had a few hairs on the bedding and some long hairs on the carpet, the room layout, was slightly ‘odd’ as the lighting was heavily focussed toward the bed and the ceiling lights shone in the eyes, and the television was positioned next to the very large wall cabinet, so the screen was a little obscured for the person on the left side of the bed, the TV would have been better positioned on the other side. The shower had great water flow and became hot very quick, with a mirror that didn’t condensate and products that had a subtle scent but foamed amazingly… it’s a shame there was no moisturiser though. The sink / mirror are behind the door so you have to be careful if someone is in the bathroom. The toilet in our room kept making creaking noises and releasing water, almost like an overflow failsafe. It did this multiple times through the day and night. The options for breakfast are very generous and decent quality, with both continental and cooked breakfast being provided, and if it’s included with your room then you can have both! Jams and butter are provided on each table as well as up at the continental section, coffee and tea, or you can choose to use the machine to make a cappuccino or latte etc. We had a couple of drinks in ‘The Neighbourhood’, the hotels adjoining bar / restaurant area, which I will set another review for. Overall this a a really good hotel, with some flaws that would need addressing, which, for now, make us wonder got it is part of WorldHotels Elite. However, we understand there are some renovation / restoration works starting soon, and would happily return after this has been completed to check out the updates.

The service here leaves much to be desired. From the moment of arrival, it was clear that guest care is not a priority. There’s no assistance with luggage, no effort to accommodate, and certainly no hospitality to speak of. Check-in is officially at 3pm, but on the morning of arrival, guests are prompted via email to complete a registration card and offered an early check-in at 1pm for an additional $20. Sounds convenient—until you arrive and are told that 1pm check-in isn’t actually possible. Despite receiving an instant confirmation and calling ahead to reconfirm, we were flatly denied. The irony? They could check us in at 2pm—just not the time we paid extra for. When we asked to simply store our luggage so we could explore the area during the extra wait, we were pointed toward a back closet and told to place the bags ourselves. No offer to assist, no information about the area, no recommendations—just a “come back later.” This is not the service standard one expects from a hotel advertising itself as four-star. It felt transactional at best, dismissive at worst. I wouldn’t return, nor recommend it to others expecting even a baseline level of guest care.