Travelodge Edinburgh Central Queen Street

The location was great, but there was nothing special about the stay. We’d booked and paid for three adults, yet there were only two towels and two cups. One of the pillows had mould on it, so I asked for a new case. They handed one over without apologising. Don’t order the breakfast box. We asked to cancel as soon as we checked in and saw what it contained, even though it wasn’t due until the next morning, but were told there were no refunds. The receptionist even said they wouldn’t push people to buy them, despite earning commission.

The staff were nice, the room was mostly clean, and most things worked. The sink took ages to drain, but I mentioned it to the staff, and these things happen. The bigger problem was the construction company behind the building. They started work well before 7am. Hotel staff said they’d reported it to the local council, but got a dismissive response. Shame the council doesn’t seem to care about tourists. If you can, ask for a room away from the construction.

The hotel’s location was great, just around the corner from High Street and the Royal Mile. We also enjoyed the breakfast buffet, and most staff were friendly. The young woman at reception wasn’t very welcoming, though. I’d rung a few days before our flight because we had several bookings and wanted to confirm we could keep the same room for all four days. She first said that hadn’t been arranged, then found that her colleague had set it up as requested. We eventually got to our room on the first floor. It was quiet, spacious, recently decorated and had a pleasant view of the church next door. There were plenty of sockets, and the beds were very comfortable, including the foldout one I slept on. We borrowed a hair dryer from reception. The WiFi cost £3 extra a day and wasn’t very strong. Our keycards kept failing several times a day. At the in-house restaurant, one young woman was handling both orders and drinks, and doing a great job. We ordered pie, mash and peas, then waited an hour and a half. It was tasty, but one family waited so long they gave up. Later in the week we had a light meal and service was fast, so maybe the first long wait was due to understaffing. Sometimes there were three people at reception, other times one staff member who looked quite stressed. The fire alarm went off at midnight, and we couldn’t leave our luggage there.

The staff were friendly and the location made it easy to get into the city, but the hotel itself was very basic. Towels were threadbare, and three of us had to share one hand towel. There wasn’t a bathmat, and the shower gel dispenser didn’t work. Free internet was limited to 30 minutes within 24 hours, not each day as listed. Cold air came through the window, and there was no soundproofing on it.