Having travelled the world and stayed in hotels from 1-5 star, this has to be one the worst i've stayed in. The outward appearance of this hotel is impressive, however, the inside did not justify its grand exterior. I went with my fiancee for the weekend. The room given to us was old fashioned. Decor was terrible, bed uncomfortable to say the least, (only 2flat pillows), and quite frankly a huge disappointment and took the shine out of our trip. I couldnt agree more with another reveiwer that it was indeed "creepy". Its only saving grace was its location but our room had a view of another brick wall. A room with a castle view?....an extra $60 per night!! One piece of advice for world travellers........dont stay here.

A native Scot I returned to stay at the Caley for a couple of days prior to Christmas, to celebrate my wedding anniversary.

I had ordered champagne to help us celebrate and had mentioned the anniversary. When we arrived our room had a complimentary bottle of wine and a card wishing us a happy anniversary from the staff and management...nice touch.
We had a castle view and the room was a super size. beautifully furnished and immaculate.

The concierge was able to achieve the impossible and book us into the wonderful Tower restaurant when all of my attempts had failed!

The trip was perfect with one small exception, the staff in the Spa a tad haughty, bordering on rude. However, everyone else we encountered was happy, smiling and made us feel like valued guests.

A perfect trip to my homeland..a great base to explore an amazing city

I and my partner stayed at the Caledonian Hilton for Christmas. We absolutely loved the experience. The hotel's location is fantastic - just at the beginning of Princess street (even though, one may find more centrally located hotels on the Royal Mile). But this hotel's location offered peace and relaxation and some fantastic views over the Castle. We stayed at the Deluxe Plus room; and even though the views were fantastic, the hotel's photos made it seem that the room was a bit bigger (not that it is too small). The bathroom is well equipped and is pretty big. The service was fantastic and staff did everything to ensure that we had a good time. Our breakfast was included in the rate and we absolutely loved the restaurant where the breakfast was served as well as the fresh tasty choice of foods offered. The building itself is grand and beautiful. I think that if anyone wants to really and truly experience the fantastic city of Edinburgh, one should stay at the Caledonian Hilton (even though it is pricey).

We decided to spend Hogmanay in Edinburgh in 2005 and moved to the Caledonian Hilton from the Sheraton Grand and Spa on the 1st January. We stayed until the 3rd. In comparison to the Sheraton, the Hilton hotel is far more modern. We were on the first floor and the colours were a wonderful baby blue. The room was very stylish, decorated to a high standard in muted browns and cream. The bathroom was small, but clean and in a modern design too.
We ate both nights at the restaurant (as we were too lazy to go out). The food was excellent and the set menu good value (3 courses for under £20). Although our waitress on both nights was exceedingly rude, she was still professional (strange contrast, I know), and we tried not to let her sour face spoil our evening.
The only complaint I would have other than the waitress service was the health club. The standard fell far below par. The club did not have top-range equipment, the sauna was tiny and the pool was inundated with small children.
However, location-wise it was perfect and as we only paid £104 per night (B&B directly via the hotel), it is hard to find many faults with the Caledonian Hilton.
On the last day we decided to visit the Glasshouse and were blown away. What a beautiful hotel! If you want modern, uber-stylish and something a little exquisite, I would definitely recommend the Glasshouse first. The only downside is that there is no Spa at the Glasshouse. (On a side note - if you want a great Spa, you cannot beat the Sheraton Grand and Spa. Though you might have to pay £20 for use if you stay in a standard room).