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The Glasshouse: Traveler Reviews


The Glasshouse
2 Greenside Place, Edinburgh EH1 3AA, Scotland
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Traveler Reviews

80% Recommend
4.0 of 5 stars 265 reviews
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No way a five star hotel, you WON'Tfind luxury here

The Glasshouse

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3 of 5 stars
kevtrina 2 contributions
north east
Jun 8, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
1/1 found this review helpful

My husband took me to The Glasshouse for a birthday treat, something he does most years, so I am fortunate enough to have stayed in quite a few 5 star hotels, and my husband has stayed in hotels all over the world. The Glasshouse however misses the mark completely. The hotel does indeed have a lot of glass but is unfortunately covered in tasteless net curtain everywhere you look giving it a horrible 80's feel. It is not at all ultra modern which is what you would expect from a modern 'boutique' hotel. The staff who are mostly (I am guessing) Polish are polite but lack any kind of enthusiasm and are all rather dull and looked pretty uncomfortable in their roles - as if the guests may bite. I agree with other reviewers that the honesty bar is just a way of saving on staff costs but at £500 for a two nights stay I would like to be served my drinks from a barman with a friendly smile. The corridors are gaudy and decorated with artificial flowers (more money saving), they are long and souless which reminded me of a travel lodge. We stayed in a deluxe room which overlooked the roof garden and beyond. On Friday evening whilst enjoying the evening sun outside on the terrace we were entertained by the local youths who had climbed the hill overlooking the hotel, and proceeded to be lairy and smash bottles down the hill - nice, but at least it was interesting to watch which is far more than I can say for any of the staff!
The room was certainly on the small side with just enough room to walk around the bed. There were no comfy chairs to sit in just a desk chair and a small glass table with a couple of 'dining' chairs. The bathroom was clean and had nice underfloor heating but again the design was no better than a travel lodge.There was an extractor fan which did not work and on the first night whilst taking a shower it leaked over the floor and caused a bit if a flood.
The air conditioning in the room has a mind of its own turning itself up and is very noisey, we had to turn it off as it was keeping me awake. The bedlinen and bed were comfortable but the net curtains were mouldy and had cigarette burns in them. Turndown service comes very early in the evening - when you are in the shower at around 5pm! The hotel says that you get a bottle of mineral water - which we did, and a scented candle - which we didn't - more money saving. My husband paid extra for passes to what in the hotel sales pitch is described as a spa in the complex next door - dont bother as the 'spa' is a large jacuzzi by the side of a swimming pool and seperate steam room and sauna in each of the mens and ladies changing rooms. None of which are mixed sex so forget it if you were thinking of enjoying a sauna together.
The only good thing that I can say about this hotel is that the breakfast was good but, that is a very expensive breakfast considering the price to stay in this hotel when the rest of the experience is distinctly average. My advice would be to save your money and stay in a hotel that is much better value and spend your hard earned cash in the many fantastic bars and restaurants in the city. This is one hotel I would certainly never recommend to anyone. Words that spring to mind are souless, very very average and boring. Certainly not an experience that I would expect from a hotel that calls itself a boutique hotel. My advice - give this one a very wide berth.

  • Liked — breakfast
  • Disliked — price,staff,souless atmosphere
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 2 of 5 stars Service
  • Date of stay May 2008
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since June 08, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Spa, Other
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
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Average price*: $330 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Excellent stay at The Glasshouse!

The Glasshouse

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5 of 5 stars
OU-toto 23 contributions
Oklahoma City
Jun 3, 2008 | Trip type: Couples

My husband and I stayed in a deluxe room at The Glasshouse for a few nights while in Edinburgh. The staff were very helpful and friendly, and our room was spacious, and well decorated. The beds are large and plush, very comfortable. Our room did not have a balcony, however, the rooftop garden provided very nice views. We especially appreciated the large bathroom with separate shower and tub and heated floors. The hotel is within very easy walking distance (5-10 minutes) from Waverley Station, Princes St., and the Royal Mile, so we didn't have to pay for transportation to and from these places. It's also located at the base of Calton Hill, so you can easily walk up the hill for panoramic views of Edinburgh. Overall, we thought it was a very convenient, comfortable hotel and would definitely recommend it to others.

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay May 2008
  • Visit was for Romantic getaway
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 25-34
  • Member since May 31, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for People with disabilities, Older travelers, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Museums / Cultural / Historical sites, Outdoor / Adventure
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $330 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Not a 5 Star Hotel

The Glasshouse

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3 of 5 stars
Moo1971 1 contribution
London
May 26, 2008 | Trip type: Couples
2/2 found this review helpful

We are left feeling somewhat ripped off after staying at the Glasshouse Hotel given that for a comparible price elsewhere in the city you are able to receive a genuine 5 star stay. The reception usually contains just 1 member of staff, the honesty bar is clearly another way of saving on staff costs and the walk to most rooms is akin to finding your way to a cinema screen in the building next door. If you're unfortunate enough to be allocated suite number 106 (normal rack rate £400 per night) we'd suggest you ask to change rooms. The "floor to ceiling" view is obscured, it's above a loud and noisy bar that you'll have to listen to music from until 3am at weekends and it's absolutely not got a view of either 1) the roof garden or 2) the city. When reporting our disappointment we were told we should have said earlier as it was now not possible to move and when reporting our commentary to the manager, he reported never having received any negative feedback of similar ilk from any previous guests. I suggested to this manager that he seek out some feedback sights in order he could verify that our feedback is absolutely not in isolation. Whilst choice of textiles and furnishings is clearly of a very high standard, as are the bathrooms, it's a bit similar to staying in a newly decorated Travel Inn with bigger beds and better linen. Breakfast costs are very expensive and if you choose the £5 room service extra, the overly priced food items are so cost cutting that breakfast for 2 will arrive on 1 tray! Not all the TV channels worked at which point we were told "this is not the fault of the hotel" and whilst that might miss the point, it was also incorrect and not particularly service focused. Benchmarking room 106 with the following content from the hotels actual website (room description of a suite) "Spacious double room and leather lounge area (we had 2 armchairs, not a bit of leather in sight) with floor to ceiling windows (not in room 106) offering views over the two acre roof terrace or Edinburgh City (not in room 106). Egyptian cotton sheets with duck down duvet. Free decanter of Whisky. Stylish glass bathrooms with Korres toiletries. Complimentary personalised business cards (no sign) complimentary shoe shine and complimentary newspaper. Mineral water and scented candle (no candle) on turndown. Plasma TV, CD player and music library, minibar, satellite TV (limited) air conditioning. DDI telephone line, voice mail, broadband, fax and modem point (£5.95 an hour). Wireless internet access."

Nice staff, but no way 5 star. Over priced, noisy and not as sold. I would suggest the management and owners of the Glasshouse visit the Balmoral and the Scotsman to understand a service culture. Whilst the traditional compared to the modern are varied, it's possible to run a contemporary modern hotel without compromising on value for money or genuine service substance. You cannot charge 5 star prices and provide a 3 star experience, nobody with any wisdom will come back.

  • Liked — The concierge
  • Disliked — Feeling ripped off
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
    • 1 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay May 2008
  • Visit was for Personal event (wedding, ...)
  • Traveled with Spouse / significant other
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since May 26, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
  • I recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Young singles, An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Pet owners, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Other
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $330 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Dull, overpriced and a bit creepy

The Glasshouse

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2 of 5 stars
pidgbeag 1 contribution
Ireland
May 23, 2008 | Trip type: Business
1/1 found this review helpful

This hotel is not deserving of a five star rating. It is very inconsistent. I was in a suite yet the shower leaks onto the bathroom floor. Some days i had the complimentary bottle of water, other days not. There is no bar, no restaurant that i could find and the hotel is badly laid out. You walk for miles to get to your room and the staff are all a bit overattentive in the wrong way.......when you didn't need help you had people barging into the room and when you needed someone, it took for ever. overall very disaapointing and generally felt it was a"hard sell" establishment. i won't be back

  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 1 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 3 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 2 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
    • 2 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay May 2008
  • Traveled with Business colleagues
  • Age group I prefer not to answer
  • Member since May 23, 2008
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? No
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $330 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
Beautiful hotel, good location

The Glasshouse

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5 of 5 stars
Adithepv 14 contributions
Bangkok
May 9, 2008 | Trip type: Business, Solo travel

Unfortunately I only stayed here one night because i was there on a business trip. The hotel was nicely decorated and the rooms used a lot of glass to make it look extremely stylish. It was spacious and the room opened in to a garden balcony which made it feel very cosy. Location of the hotel is fine, within walking distance of Princess Street where my office is located and where it's all happening. Breakfast was probably one of the best I had during my one week stay in London/Edinburgh. I'm not sure about value for money though since my company paid for all but whatever it was I think it was well worth it.

  • Liked — Interior design, spacious
  • My ratings for this hotel
    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Check in / front desk
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Business service (e.g., internet access)
  • Date of stay April 2008
  • Visit was for Business
  • Traveled with Solo traveler
  • Age group 35-49
  • Member since July 29, 2007
  • Would you recommend this hotel to a friend? Yes
  • I recommend this hotel for An amazing honeymoon, A romantic getaway, Girlfriend getaway, People with disabilities, Older travelers, Families with young children, Families with teenagers, Tourists
  • I do not recommend this hotel for Pet owners
  • I selected this hotel as a top choice for Business meeting / Event
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Was this review helpful? Yes No
Check Rates
Average price*: $330 (year-round)
Call now to book: 1-800-45-HOTEL from hotels.com
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