This delightful hotel in Edinburgh's "New Town" sits just a short walk from Princes Street in a haven of genteel quietude. Comprised of 3 Georgian residences dating from the 1780's it offers top class accommodation, attentive, charming and discreet staff and a restaurant with a limited menu but very well presented fare.

Although my wife had stayed at the Howard previously in a single room, this was our first experience of the hotel as a base for a relaxing "couple" (we are in our late 40s) weekend . We were delighted. The welcome was warm and inviting, as is the hall of the hotel as you push open the imposing front door set in a commanding Edinburgh granite facade. A relaxing, but giant, gin and tonic were speedily served in the delightful drawing room by one of the in-house butlers; the keeness of the staff to meet your needs being a feature of the Howard.

Our room, "Heriot", was comfortable and beautifully decorated with a very comfy four-poster. Although overlooking Great George Street, on which the hotel stands, the room was quiet...largely as the street itself is not at all busy.

If you want an alternative to dining at the Howard, (breakfast exquisite too) a good range of restaurants are to be found close by in Dundas Street, though if a traditional pub is more your scene, a longer walk is needed to track some down.

We really enjoyed the Howard. If modern hotels are your preference or you are an aficionado of the more "hip" boutique hotel you may find the Howard jsut a little old fashioned - but it embodies standards that will never go out of fashion - quality, courtesy, comfort, service, and great location. we'd stay there again; in fact we are...next month!

We booked our stay at The Howard using a great feature on Last Minute.com.
Basically, they have hotels that you can book as mystery hotels. You get a description of where the hotel is and the star rating but no name until you have confirmed the booking.Once you click on ok, you find out where you will be staying-all very exciting!!
I knew from the description that the hotel would be good and we were not disappointed.
I wasn't sure about the whole butler concept prior to our arrival (I had no shoes that needed shining and was unsure as to what we would do with him)
The service is in fact far less formal that it sounds. Very relaxed and our butler, Dominic, was delightful.
He showed us to our room after a drink in the lounge and insisted that if we wanted anything- tea,coffee,something from the shops or a dinner reservation to call him.
The room was lovely.Traditional decor with huge windows. All the mod cons including a great duke box facility on the TV.
Spacious bathroom with robes,slippers and Penhaligon smellies.
Our bedding had been turned down and the curtains drawn by the time we came back in.
Dominic brought us up our complimentary drinks(The hot chocolate is delicious) and tucked us in.(Just kidding).
Good nights sleep in a really comfy bed and a fantastic breakfast. I had smoked salmon and scrambled eggs and my husband said the full Scottish was great.
Our bags were brought down and put in the taxi for us.
All in all I can not fault this hotel. The attention to detail is spot on and what could be pompous and stuffy is in fact relaxed and friendly.

We arrrived at the Howard on our honeymoon and stayed for 2 nights. We were upgraded for free to the Abercrombie Suite. It really was 5* treatment! our butler was lovely! The room was top of the range with a 4 poster bed and the decoration was finished to a high standard. It was situated very close to the centre of Edinburgh. The bathroom was to die for! it was huge, with a really powerful shower that massaged you! it had his and hers sinks, and twice daily would be filled full of gorgeous smellies! There was also a little living room area, with fresh red roses and magazines and a bottle of wine and waters too.
We rated this hotel! It was pricey, but it was our honeymoon!

Thanks!

this was a return visit for us, and we spent two nights this trip. Our room was large, well appointed and very quiet. The staff was wonderful, booking theatre tickets and making suggestions for dinner. A trip to Scotland isn't complete without scotch, and the butlers are very willing to share their knowledge and assist in tastings.
We will definitely return to The Howard when ever we are in the area.