After booking this hotel for three people got our confirmation for two people phoning to change three times before we thought they had got it. It had on confirmation executive room but when we arrived they had it only for two people in a junior suite. Eventually the housekeeper Babs got it organised and we got two adjoining rooms. Breakfast was not very organised. The apple juice was so watered down it tasted like water with a tinge of apple. The rolls were not set up and we had to ask for them. Would prefer to have coffee pots on the tables instead of just getting a cup at a time. Apart from that it was fine.

There are two hotels in Edinburgh with Thistle in their name - this one is a privately owned, family run establishment. On ringing the hotel to check it out, I was told it has 'contempory decor, is close to main bus routes, 5 minutes form the West End of Princes Street, a short walk into the City, in a quiet residential road, so quiet and homely.' Not quite right. The main road that links into Princes Street is at least 5 minutes walk away, the nearest bus stop at Shandwick Place another 5 minutes walk away and the short walk to the City is a good 15 minute brisk walk, cutting through the short cuts we discovered, longer if you don't know them. Fine if you are fit and healthy, not so good if you are not or lugging heavy luggage.

Contempory decor - by the looks of it it was refurbished in the '80's and not particularly well done and could do with freshening up - e.g. the picture in our bathroom had been painted around - there was paint on the frame. The bathroom was tiny and the shower attachment linked to the bath taps the only way to get water out, so if one wanted a bath, it was a very long wait. There are no toilet brushes in the public toilet or our bathroom, so ensuring the room was better or the same as one found it not possible. In our room, we had one loo roll which ran out, luckily on the last morning, without pre-provided replacement. Curtains that are without blackout lining, ensured the sun beamed through before 6am. The chair provided in our room had a broken arm, and whilst the room was quite big, due to the bed, the chair couldn't be moved out to sit at the dressing table, so not usable. The bed was made in such a way that the sheets and blankets came up half way up the chest, and not over one's shoulders. As I wasn't cold, I couldn't be bothered to check whether there was enough bedding length to do that, or whether it was just the bed-making style. Magazines on the landing tables are in French and other languages, and date from c2003-2004.
The superior continental breakfast isn't. A plate of 'plastic' cheese slices and some ham, croissants and fruit buns being the additional extras. A wide range of different teas, however the local low-cost store 'own' brand.
The hotel may be in a quiet location, however the amplified music on Friday and Saturday night that intruded until 11.30pm rather negated the hotel location. . Whilst the hotel is now non-smoking, the public bar area has not been deep-cleaned since the smoking ban and still smells of the old cigarette smoke from former times. Another odd touch was the payment on arrival - I've not met that before, I'm used to settling my bill on departure. Would I stay again or recommend? No. Not enough investment in the guest experience, things seem to be done 'on the cheap' when a ittle more spent would make a vast difference, and move the opinion from 'not good value for money'. Perhaps there are so many tourists that it doesn't matter? This hotel has the foundations to be a lovely, homely, family-run establishment, however I think some fresh, objectives eyes from the guest perspective could be employed, as could some accurate descriptions.

Having stayed at the Thistle Edinburgh recently I would like to commend the management for a well run Hotel.From our slick check-in to our slick check-out 2 days later my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We had booked a 2 night mini-break which consisted of Dinner,Bed & Breakfast, and a suite complete with bottle of champagne. The accommodation was excellent, the meals were nice without being special and the staff were all very attentive. My only grouse would be with the bar service in the Boston Bean Company where there seemed to be a lack of staff. As a travel agent(I didn't get a discount) I would certainly recommend this Hotel to clients looking for a good central base in Edinburgh.

Overall, we were very pleased with the location of this hotel and the professionalism of the staff. The hotel is around the corner from Princes Street and just across the river from the Royal Mile. Staff were courteous and very helpful. For example, limited parking is available at this hotel, but staff made sure they found a space so that we would not have to pay the expenisve rates at the public garages. They were also good about recommending restaurants and booking reservations for us.

There was nothing special about our room, but it was very clean. The size was a bit small; however, we believe it was pretty standard. It was fairly quiet in our room and the hotel in general, which was a surprise given that we were there during the Edinburgh Festival at the end of August.

The only complaints we had concerned the type of room we were given and the price. We originally booked a double room with one bed, but were given two twins. Because the hotel was full, we were unable to change rooms. Although we thought the room was a bit expensive (156 pounds per night--not including breakfast), it was one of the more affordable hotels for the location and it was during a peak time.