We planned to stay in Edinburgh for a week and chose the Howard because we had a child with us and it looked like they had a large luxurious sutie. We were given their largest suite, the Marchmont. On a positive note, the hotel is located in an upscale residential area in Edinburgh. It is an easy walk to George St. where the nicest shops and restaurants are located. It is a short cab ride to the central area and major sites (i.e. castle, museums, shows, palaces, etc.) The location is fine. We were greeted warmly at check -in by a very nice staff person. There were however, many other issues for us which actually caused us to check out and move to another hotel. We regularly stay at five star properties and smalll luxury hotels. We were paying 420pounds + taxes, etc. so one night was 550 pounds which was $1,089 dollars so we expected a high quality experience. It was pouring when we arrived. There were three of us and we asked for umbrellas. We were given two flimsy fold-ups. One of the two was broken and we were told that was all they had when we asked for another. The hotel provided shampoo. We called and asked for conditioner and were told they did not have any. I consider both very basic five star amenities. When we opened our window to look out to the garden there was a large bucket of cigarette butts outside the window. The suite was large and the bathrooms are remodeled tastefully. However, my husband who is 6'1", 230 found it very cramped in the master shower. I took a shower in the secondary bath. I am 5'10" and had to duck to get under the showerhead. The larger suites are subterranean and have a very dank mildewy feeling. The lighting was too dim to see whether it was actually dusty as I see other reviewers reported but I was sneezing incessantly the entire time I was in the suite. We ordered a very simple breakfast in the room which was horrible and we left as the croissants were stale. This property is much more like a quirky B & B than a small luxury hotel. The Howard was the greatest discrepancy between price/ website and actual product/value we have ever experienced. At first the hotel tried to suggest that we had to pay for our entire stay after checking out after one night. It was very disappointing and we felt lucky that the hotel honored their cancellation policy which we had in writing. This was after we told them we had the written policy they had sent to us.

My husband, daughter, and I stayed at The Howard for 3 nights in July - what a fabulous experience! From the butler service to the beautifully decorated suite, drawing room, and breakfast room, this hotel aims to please. We were incredibly lucky to have Fernando as our butler - he made our visit so special. We will definitely stay at The Howard again.

Part of my honeymoon and extremely disappointing, all blamed on a wedding they were hosting at the time - not a good enough excuse in my book.

Had booked champagne to be ready on arrival - not there when arrived.

Our personal butler changed every time he/she appeared, despite assurances when I was arranging the honeymoon that we would have personal attention from one person.

The DVD player in the room didn't work.

Breakfast in our room arrived with a half-eaten bowl of porridge from the day before left in the warming drawer.

One of my wife's rings went "missing" from the sink in the bathroom and we were practically accused of having mislaid it ourselves. Miraculously it arrived in the post (without any covering note or letter of explanation) a week after our stay.

I complained to reception on leaving and was offered a glass of champagne, just as I was out to drive 500 miles back to London.

After the stay we wrote to the hotel and copied the chairman of the group and never received a response - obviously our custom simply didn't matter.

Based on Trip Advisor reviews, which have been so helpful and accurate, we were looking forward to our two nights at The Howard. There was only one negative review (July '06) which I only noticed after our trip and it couldn't have been more accurate! The Howard, particularly for the price point, looks great upon immediate first impression, but quickly, the impression didn't match up with the experience. On the positive side, the room was large (not a suite, the deluxe - our daughter had the standard, which was good size as well). The bedside lamps were covered in dust (no, not a bit of dust, COVERED) and the bedding was terrible - sheets and a poly blend blanket of the sort that would be in a budget motel.
Dinner was just okay - not awful, but nothing to rave about. Breakfast was the same and the poached eggs were hard boiled, not poached. Again, at this price point - the eggs should be cooked properly! Coffee was terrible.
The waiter at dinner was great - friendly, yet non-intrusive. The staff were fine, but did nothing out of the ordinary especially given their promotion of their unique "butler" service. We didn't have any sense of what that's about - but certainly, everyone was nice enough.
We stayed at two other hotels (Parkcity in London & Arundel House Restaurant & Rooms in West Sussex - both well reviewed on Trip Advisor) during our UK vacation and both were far, far better in all ways than The Howard.
Maybe the suites are cleaner and have better bedding??
Down at the heels and frayed - and not in a charming way.