We stayed in the Scotsman over the Christmas break taking advantage of a Sunday night deal that included a three course meal. The hotel itself is well serviced with great staff (although not sure what is up with adding a service charge to the overall bill!!!) and the rooms are well appointed if a little plain. The seasonal winter flower arrangement was excellent.
The restaurant food was a little disappointing and I'd rate it 3/5 stars only. Location is fantastic and the period features of the hotel do add a certain element of olde worlde charm.

We loved our stay at the Scotsman. It's a beautiful building- I quite enjoyed its history and its quirkiness- it's not a simple building in its layout. The staff were welcoming and helpful. We stayed in a Study Room, advertised at their smallest and whilst fitting 2 it is recommended by their website as ideal for one. As part of two people sharing the room it was perfectly sized. The decor is lovely (though whoever painted the room managed to get paint on the light switches) and the concierge was very helpful, taking us up to what could be a hard to find room and explaining all the rooms features to us. The bathroom was a highlight. A spacious room, it's not crammed into the room like in so many other hotels but is a seperate room in its own right with heated mirrors- no fogging! The mineral water left by turn down service is a nice touch, as is the monopoly board in the room. The location was perfect, a quick walk to any of Edinburgh's major sites and the hotel offers free wi-fi- a definite bonus. We ate in the brasserie and enjoyed good service, and delicious drinks and food. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this hotel to anyone!

As a young couple (my boyfriend and I were away celebrating his 22nd birthday at the start of the month), we were rather dubious at attempting to 'fit in' with what we thought was expected of guests at a hotel of this standard. However, as soon as we were greeted by Hanne at reception, we were received warmly - both looking a bit windswept and rabbits in headlights - and were instantly upgraded to a more superior room than the one we had booked. Starting to feel used to the 5* thing already, we were welcomed by Ivor, one of the concierges, who was the true star of our stay. Although I'm aware it's normal service for the concierge to take the bags and show us how things work etc, Ivor was full of extra information with a friendly and engaging manner, all too insistent on holding doors and making sure we were comfortable. If he glimpsed us leaving or returning from various trips, he would always approach us to ask how our day had been, even recommending routes and finding maps for a rather windy trip up to Arthur's seat, for which he also pointed us in the direction of a great pub for afterwards. It's always nice to be treated with courtesy as well as with genuine interest in how our first stay in Edinburgh was progressing. Additionally, Tony was also very efficient and polite when we realised one of our T.V. remotes was missing, and found us one in probably no more than 15 minutes after we mentioned the issue. Breakfast was also catered for well, and we were attended to by polite staff in the restaurant area. As we don't have huge appetites, we mainly enjoyed the continental selections and choice of alternatives to the 'fry-up' options (although the sausages were lovely to try). The spa was slightly confusing to get to, and I'm sure we scared a few people going to the car park when the lift doors revealed us in our dressing gowns! However, it was fine once we'd been there once, and the steam rooms etc. were nice to try out. All in all, we WILL be returning in the near future... after all it is my 21st birthday in April which is as good excuse as any to be aided by this wonderful set of staff again.

Booked 3 night christmas package. Staff very really friendly, helpful and made our stay really comfortable. Food is excellent and plenty of it. First time spending Christmas away from home, but was a really enjoyable experience, with many nice touches to the package including milk and carrots on xmas eve for those that had young children, to leave out for Santa!
The hotel is very clean, comfortable and high standard of service.
Great location with easy access to all that Edinburgh has to offer.