Motel One Edinburgh-Royal

The location and look of the hotel were lovely, and I really liked the comfortable room. It had a great bed with several pillows, carpet, and a luggage rack. The bathroom was good too, though the shower made an annoying noise that we had to adjust, and the water sometimes turned cold. The towels were small and thin. Room heating was excellent, and although we didn’t have a view room, the view we got was beautiful. Check-in was confusing. The room was ready, but the system hadn’t been updated, so we waited almost an hour after a five-hour trip. No courtesy was offered. There’s no wardrobe, the curtains don’t block all the light, and we could hear some street noise as well as wind coming through the corridor or around the door. Still, the noise was decent overall. I also missed having a small bin in the room. I liked the stay a lot and would come back, but those towels could be better, haha.

The location is perfect, right opposite the train station and near the Royal Mile, castle, Calton Hill, and other areas. We were there for two nights as a birthday present for my partner. We’d loved the MO brand before, so this stay was disappointing. It did the job, but for the price there are much better value options just a stone’s throw away with the same location perks. We would return for the location, though. The breakfast cost £15pp and the options didn’t feel adequate for the price, even though the food itself wasn’t bad. It was strange sitting around a bar for breakfast. It felt like a makeshift setup for a restaurant that had closed unexpectedly, rather than an enjoyable meal. I’d added breakfast when booking, but after the first morning we wanted to try somewhere local instead. The hotel said we couldn’t remove it for the second morning because I hadn’t paid them directly, even though the money still went to Motel one. Service wasn’t great. The Scottish staff we encountered seemed uninterested, while the other staff members were lovely. Also, all the fire doors were repeatedly left open despite signs saying to keep them shut. That seemed odd, given how much a closed door could matter in a fire.

I had a great shower and a lovely room, and the staff were amazing. Kaydee at reception was especially kind and chatty, and went above and beyond to help during my stay. I felt compelled to leave a review after that customer service. A truly wonderful person, and I can’t thank him enough. One of the best hotel experiences I’ve had.

We found the property clean, nice, and well located, but noise in our room got in the way of enjoying the visit. It was near the street, so some noise was expected. What bothered us more was hearing plumbing and water use from the room above throughout our stay. We let the front desk know, and they responded quickly and were helpful, but there wasn’t much they could do to fix it.