We've stayed at this hotel 4 times in the past 12 years. Initially we were disappointed that it became a Hilton, as some of the nice touches were lost (dressing gowns in the rooms, breakfast served in the room with the castle view etc) and our experiences have varied. The last time we were here, our room was terribly smoky with the cigarette fumes from the wedding reception downstairs wafting up under the door. Happily, the no-smoking laws have stopped this!

However, if you've been put off by similarly varied experiences, think again! This time we were lucky enough to be put in a room with a castle view (Room 210, in case you're interested!) and it was huge! I think it must have been an upgrade. The bathroom was beautiful and had a bath/shower combo and a separate shower. The decor was clean and modern but appropriate. Drinking wine at the table by the window, we could fully appreciate the view of the Christmas lights down Princes Street as it became dark - brilliant!

The front desk staff were courteous and helpful. Our room was not ready for us when we first arrived, but this was little wonder since we arrived at 10.30am. We didn't eat breakfast here as we don't really like the chain hotel approach of quantity over quality. The pool was fine, but the paintwork in the leisure club could do with a revamp soon.

We stayed at the Edinburgh Hilton three nights, arriving around 11 PM. It must have been the downtime at the front desk, because we were checked in by a young girl trainee, who must have been on her first day, as she didn't even know how to swipe my (Hilton) credit card. I felt like I was playing "store" with one of my children when they were small. Anyway, we were given a very nice room, with coffee and tea making facilities.

The bathroom was well-equipped with large sized Evelyn Crabtree products, towel warmer. The basin for the sink was a little too small for the fixtures, water spalshed everywhere. We also were unable to locate the hair dryer until the very last day there (it was in a small drawer in the desk). The major complaint we had was we were unable to adjust the thermostat whatsoever and were too hot at night. The window only opened a crack. Although quiet, we had a "commoner's" view of the hotel's inner courtyard, where we could see all the ancient sewage pipes, debris caught on ledges and a handful of pigeons.

The concierge service, as complimented elsewhere, was excellent. He booked us a tour with one of the local agencies and was otherwise very helpful.

The location of the hotel is perfect for being in the city center, although others have complained of the noise, we found the inner courtyard side perfectly quiet.

We enjoyed breakfast one morning, which had an extensive selection, but should have been priced in dollars rather than pounds. My advice is take advantage of the champagne there.

Just returned from a 2 night break at this wonderful hotel. The staff just couldn't do enough for us. As it was my husband's 40th Birthday (they had been previously advised via email) they upgraded our Standard Double to Deluxe Plus with a wonderful view of the Castle, they left wine and chocolates as well as a birthday card. It just made us feel special and very well looked after. The location was superb and the hotel itself was amazingly beautiful, but what really makes it is the staff, they really couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful. We eat in 'Chisolms' their bistro restaurant and the food was delicious, not too badly priced either. I would want to stay here again and again when I come to Edinburgh.

I thought the stay at this hotel was very disappointing. We had no pay per view TV in the room and when we called housekeeping they came and had a look and then said it was an outside company. It was not fixed by the time we left two days later.
We both had treatments in the spa and whilst the therapists were great it is very noisey and not in keeping with relaxation.
The meal we had on the Saturday night was also disappointing. The service was positvely smug, when we both complained that our main course was undercooked we were told it was supposed to be al dente, but the risotto could not be eaten as it would have given you a pain in your stomach. We were offered more sauce and a free coffee, but no replacement main course and no manager came to talk to us. Not the standard of service that you expect and it certainly clouded judgement of what is a beautiful hotel.