Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Caledonian is one of Edinburgh’s most significant landmarks. Standing proudly at the West End of Princes Street, this former Victorian railway building hotel nestles in the shadow of the imposing Edinburgh Castle. Its reputation for style and excellence has attracted international visitors and notable personalities for over one hundred years. Admire some of the best views in Edinburgh from our 235 guest rooms and suites and dine at award-winning restaurants, Grazing by Mark Greenaway and Dean Banks at The Pompadour. At The Caledonian Edinburgh, experience the grandeur of The Court, formerly the station concourse and ticket office, now a haven for afternoon tea and elegant evening drinks. Treat yourself to some of the finest Scottish whiskies and signature cocktails at The Caley Bar, or indulge at The Spa at The Caledonian, a sanctuary of luxury and relaxation, home to a luxurious swimming pool, sauna, steam room, whirlpool, and two gyms.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
4.3 reviews
Getting there
Great for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
In our experience,all aspects of the Caledonian are fabulous. All the staff who we interacted with were brilliant(without exception) professional friendly,individual without being ‘corporate/prescriptive’ Our room was spacious and well equipped and quiet despite very central location. Breakfast was delicious with a good selection of hot and cold options-we asked for a couple of fruit options that weren’t on display and these were brought to the table quickly. The bar was comfortable with a good range of drinks and eclectic playlists
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Parking close to hotel with valet parking-we arrived at 4pm on a Friday afternoon and there was...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Oct 10, 2024
Dear Bronwyn W, Thank you so much for your wonderful 5/5 review! We are thrilled to hear that you had such a fantastic experience at The Caledonian Edinburgh. It’s especially heartwarming to know that our staff made such a positive impression and that you found them professional, friendly, and personable. We’re glad you enjoyed the spaciousness and tranquility of your room, as well as the breakfast and bar offerings. We always aim to exceed expectations, so it’s great to hear that the team quickly accommodated your requests for additional fruit options. We look forward to welcoming you back for another fabulous stay in the future!
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This hotel is just wow. From the minute we arrived until the minute we left, we were absolutely amazed with the standards and service the hotel has to offer.
The staff at the hotel are exceptional,from reception to Spa and restaurant they were truly faultless. Every single team member went truly above and beyond to make our stay memorable.
The food is fantastic, we ate in the restaurants over two nights and the food & service faultless on both occasions. We also had treatments and the Spa which was fantastic. A true gem of a hotel.
Don’t like to nitpick but the only fault were the 3 young children who dominated the pool & hot tub over the two days we used these facilities. As it’s quite an expensive Spa experience, you’d expect this to be nipped in the bud. I appreciate kids are kids but if you’ve come away to relax it’s not all together ideal to rest up.
Fantastic hotel and couldn’t recommend it enough. Thank you Edinburgh Waldorf
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Date of stay: June 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Jun 16, 2023
Dear Dan H, Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey following your stay with us, as we greatly value and appreciate your feedback. I am pleased to see that in general you enjoyed your time with us! However, I would like to apologise for the fact that you did not have the most relaxing spa experience due to the noise in the pool area. Please rest assured that I have passed your comments onto the spa management team, as we are not in the habit of disappointing our guests, and we hope we can pleasantly surprise you on your next visit. We trust you had a safe onward journey and look forward to welcoming you back to the hotel soon.
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We spent three nights at "The Caley" in late September. You still can't beat the view as it looks out directly at the Castle and the location is wonderful as you can walk to most any major spot in Edinburgh. The service in the restaurants and bars was first rate as was the greeting at the front desk. For the price we expected excellence but we were let down a bit. Our room was clean and average but the bathroom was very small with the shower spray actually hitting the toilet paper if you had any splash at all. We loved Peacock Alley and booked dinner one night at Grazing on the recommendation of staff that we must have the excellent Beef Wellington. We arrived at dinner at 7:15 to find the Beef Wellington was sold out. It was a bit odd as the restaurant was not all that busy when we arrived. The most annoying bit was the Fire Alarm at 4:15 AM that had us hiking down to the lobby in our jammies and raincoats. The alarm stopped about 4:25 or so and one out of breath chap was the only employee we saw. No explanation, No apology, no real direction so we all slowly wandered back to our rooms. I've been here in the past when it was great but I must admit it slipped a bit from excellent to very good.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Oct 9, 2023
Dear 974JamesH974, Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your valuable feedback from your stay with us in September. I am saddened to hear that we failed to meet your expectations on this occasion compared to the last one. I have passed on your comments to the restaurant with regards to your dining experience. The safety of our guests is our highest priority and it is necessary for us to take these precautions when the fire alarm has sounded. I hope that you had a safe and pleasant return journey home and I look forward to welcoming you again in the not too distant future. Hopefully we will be able to provide you the perfect service and stay that you should have received and that we are known for from your previous visit.
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I am a seasoned traveler and stay in many fine hotels all over the world. I never write reviews but due to my very poor experience at this hotel I thought I needed to warn those that are thinking of staying here about this property. The hotel is currently under some repair with the hallways being painted. That being said the smell of the paint in the hallways is very heavy. The hotel is in dire need of renovation. The shower (tub) takes hours to drain so when you take a shower you are standing in 8 inches of water. Parts of the shower knobs just fell off. There is no mini bar in the room just a small refrigerator. Upon, returning from dinner we found that our room was not made up. We called to have the room made up but no one answered and actually had to contact the food service just to get to someone to answer after 10 minutes to trying. No one was available to make up the room. The safe in the room was unusable as its placement made it impossible to even see inside the safe. When we tired calling for anything rarely did anyone answer. The hotel is busy but that is unacceptable. The bathroom has no amenities at all. The bathroom towel heater was repaired with tinfoil. Furniture in the room is worn and broken. After a day of touring we came back to our room to find the room at about 100 degrees and the air conditioner broken. An engineer was sent to try to fix it without resolution. The engineer came back again and told us they replaced all the air conditioners about month ago but some were not working. I spoke with the hotel manager Danny who was not able to resolve the situation with the room and was less than accommodating. They ended up bringing a fan for the room. All this at almost $1,000/night!
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Find other accommodations.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Jul 14, 2024
Dear Jeffrey G, Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey following your stay with us, as we greatly value and appreciate your feedback. I am both saddened and concerned to learn that we failed to meet your expectations on this occasion, kindly accept my sincerest apologies. I am really sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your room experience and that you room was not services and had some maintenance issues. Please rest assured that your comments have been passed onto the hotel management team as we are not in the habit of disappointing our guests. I trust you have had a safe onward journey and I hope I can welcome you back again soon.
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When you hear Waldorf Astoria, you think epic luxury and class. Not so much here. The hotel appears to have been built in a few phases. When you see the hotel from the outside, walk into the lobby and start towards your room, you’re met with the luxury you’d expect. Hall ways with 15 foot ceilings, 10 feet wide with chandeliers and furniture lining the halls. Only as we continued to our room, we found ourselves in a very different setting. Mind you and to be clear, we did not book economy accommodations. These rooms are incredibly expensive. The hallway to our room was so narrow, you needed to step sideways to get by the maids cart. When we entered our room we were massively disappointed by the spartan decorations and the very small size of the room. They only put a night stand on one side of the bed!! On the side where my wife slept, there was no where to put anything other than on the floor. We inquired about this, thinking it was an oversight… nope, it was a design decision. We tried to change rooms, but none were available. The people working there were nice and understanding, but there was nothing they could do.
If you’re going to stay there, be sure your room is in the “older” part of the hotel where the rooms are likely more stately and you actually feel you’re getting what you’re paying for.
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Date of stay: June 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:The hotel is centrally located and is a short walk from a beautiful park and other attractions....
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Jun 2, 2024
Dear Frank C, We were disappointed to learn about your recent experience with us at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian and we would like to extend our sincere apologies for the inconvenience. We take guest feedback very seriously and we assure you that appropriate measures will be taken to address the issues you have brought to our attention. We are committed to providing the highest level of service in all aspect to all our guests, and saddened that we fell short in your case. We do pride ourselves on being a very friendly, welcoming and dedicated team, it is great to see that somehow our hard working staff are being acknowledge for this. I hope this has not deterred you from returning in the future, as we would love to welcome you back and give you the true, luxury service you should've experienced.
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My 1st stay & was greeted very warmly by the staff, both on reception and the concierge. The room was beautiful, however, there was no mirror next to an electric point to use the hairdryer. The room in the evening was very cold an the fan was blowing out cold air. It was frosty that night! I was given an upgrade room with a lovely large room, TV, large bathroom and a walk in wardrobe. The robes provided though would only fit a size 8 person! No good for either myself or my partner. We did get bottled water provided. We used the pool in the spa which was lovely, and had a steam room & sauna. We had booked an evening meal. I didn't feel like the service we had was worth what was charged for on the bill! My meal was not good - overcooked chicken and the breadcrumbs on the outside were burnt. We were never asked during the meal if everything was ok, that didn't come until the lady came to collect the plates - I asked if I could just give her some feedback but after that, she never came near our table. We weren't offered a desert menu and it took us over 20 mins to get someone to bring us the bill. When I went to the ladies, there were 4 members of staff at the entrance to the restaurant on their mobile phones! The bar service however, was spot on, and the lady was very attentive and chatty. We went to breakfast the next morning, and the food was perfect, and the staff couldn't do enough for you. I wish I could say my stay was fantastic, but on this occasion I didn't feel like it was. Very disappointed
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Date of stay: February 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded 3 weeks ago
Dear gillywilko, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback following your recent stay with us at The Caledonian Edinburgh. We’re truly sorry to hear that your stay didn’t meet your expectations, and we sincerely apologise for the issues you experienced. We appreciate your positive comments about our reception team, the room, and the spa facilities, but we regret that the room temperature, robe sizes, and meal experience fell short. Your feedback regarding the service in the restaurant is especially valuable, and we will be addressing this with the team to ensure better attention and service in the future. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed breakfast and that the bar service was attentive, and we will take all your comments into consideration as we strive to improve. We do hope you’ll consider giving us another chance, and we’ll do everything we can to make your next stay more enjoyable.
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The location is perfect and the service was excellent. The concierge staff were so helpful. They booked dinner for us for all five nights and we thoroughly enjoyed all of the restaurants that they picked for us. The breakfast that was included due to my Hilton Diamond status was amazing. We were permitted to order off the menu including cappuccino and also take food from the vast buffet. The waitstaff were all so sweet and attentive. There is not much fruit on the buffet, so if you enjoy good fruit, order one or two of the fruit plates from the menu like I did. We used Hilton points to book the five nights and found the number of points to book the standard level room to be quite reasonable. We were then granted an upgrade upon check-in, which we appreciated as we would never have used points to book a premium room due to the very large number of points required to do so. Our only disappointment was that no king beds were available and after sleeping in a number of small beds in various B&B’s for a couple of weeks on our trip, we were looking forward to having more space for a good night’s sleep. We can’t complain, however, because as stated above, we only reserved a standard room. the valet parking was great. We were happy to hand the car over, have our bags delivered to our room and then just walk everywhere during our stay.
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Date of stay: October 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:The valet parking is very convenient.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Oct 11, 2024
Dear normal882, Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful experience following your recent stay at The Caledonian Edinburgh! We're thrilled to hear that our concierge team helped make your dining experiences memorable and that you enjoyed the delicious breakfast options available with your Hilton Diamond status. It's great that the upgrade added to your stay, and we appreciate your understanding about the bed availability. We're glad valet parking and the hotel's location made it easy for you to explore the area. We hope to welcome you back soon for another comfortable and enjoyable stay!
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Good: I regularly stay with Hilton and this hotel was recommended to me by a colleague. The building is so lovely and well presented, 15-20 minutes walk from the train station along Princess Street (flat as well). The bedroom was what I expect of a Hilton, clean and tidy. Staff are polite and over helpful. Views of the castle are so pretty.
Not Good: Check in was nearly 20 minutes wait (please Hilton get better at this) I had a mouse in my room at 5am this morning Probably due to the food left in the corridors after room service (again, Hilton please get better at removing trays from the floors) The price is very steep, luckily I used the points I have acquired, although it did wipe out 95,000 points for 1 night. I eventually found the kettle , however there was no coffee.
Overall, for the price charged, they could do better
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Date of stay: June 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Jun 6, 2024
Dear debi_1967, Thank you for taking the time to complete our survey following your stay with us at The Caledonian Edinbubrgh, as a loyal Hilton Honors Member we greatly value and appreciate your feedback. I am both saddened and concerned to learn that we failed to meet your expectations on this occasion, kindly accept my sincerest apologies. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact the hotel directly. I trust you have had a safe onward journey and I hope I can welcome you back again soon
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We are American Express customers and had great expectations for The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton Edinburgh. We paid 2091€ for the 3 nights. Already at check-in the gentleman promised us an “upgrade” at the reception and spoke very positively as if we were getting a special room. American Express promises a free "upgrade" to all customers upon availability. The disappointment was all the greater when we entered the room and found that it was not even the room I had originally reserved!!
The room was tiny, with a small window, no shower – just an old, uncomfortable bathtub although I wanted a shower tray for the reservation. The beds were narrow (definitely not queen size), creaked with every move and were very uncomfortable and looked old and dusty.
After our complaint we were offered another room (508) , which had several small windows and a shower tray, but was even colder than the first room. At night we noticed that the air conditioning did not work and the beds were the same - very uncomfortable. We spent the whole night freezing. The next morning we were promised that a technician would fix the problem and that we would come to a warm room in the evening, but when we came back in the evening, the room was still cold. We were eventually brought a Dyson fan, but even with it the room and bathroom remained freezing cold, and the room temperature barely exceeded 17 degrees.
Finally, we were offered a smaller room without coffee machine and minibar. (216) This room was at least warmer, but here the bathroom was disastrous: The shower tray did not work properly, and only cold water came out of the tap, which only warmed up after over half an hour.
Since we were not enough for 3 nights for Edinburgh, we wanted to extend our stay by one day. However, we were told that this would cost £2,100 because the room was supposedly a “suite” – even though the connecting door to the adjoining room was locked. An alternative for 612 pounds was also offered, but after these experiences it was clear to us: We will never visit this hotel again and will not earn a dime from us!
The whole place was cold and very uncomfortable, absolutely not 5 stars luxury, and also the spa was a huge disappointment and did not offer the promised relaxation. Breakfast was delicious, but the service ended at 10:30 a.m., which is a bit scarce for late risers.
Overall, a bitter disappointment! We can't recommend The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton to anyone. For the last night we found an apartment just across the street for half the price – it was much more comfortable, warmer, with two bedrooms and three bathrooms and offered significantly more luxury! So really look around before you decide on this hotel.
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Date of stay: November 2024
Value
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Für dieses Geld ist das Hotel wirklich sehr schade! In der Nähe gibt es reichliche Hotels, jede...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stayed on 21st Jan after booking a king deluxe room on my hotel break. Contacted the hotel to advise I had booked the wrong room and asked if could pay to upgrade to King Premier. (For anyone else thinking of going then book directly through Hilton as when I checked price of upgraded room it was actually cheaper booking that room direct with hotel than I had paid for lesser room on 'my hotel break'.) Chloe from reception, who was excellent throughout the initial contact with the hotel before we arrived, replied to my request advising we had already been complimentary upgraded to give my wife and daughter more space. The room we were 'upgraded' to should quite simply not be in service in a 2 star hotel never mind a 5 star hotel. I encourage the general manager to go into room 465, turn the light off and sit for five minutes and listen to the numerous pollutions of noise before placing any paying customers in it again. Either we were placed there as the staff are unaware of the problems with the room, which would surprise me given it has been mentioned on previous reviews on here, or we were placed there because the hotel wanted to keep us away from other guests as we had asked for a cot. I recognise a hotel may want to remove the risk of a crying toddler disturbing other guests but surely there were other rooms with spaces either side of them - the hotel could not even have been a quarter full? To be fair to reception, as soon as we complained we were moved to another room which was large enough for the cot however the attitude of one of the supervisors in the housekeeping team, who made us feel like we were a real inconvenience to her (I'm not sure why as we carried all our own bags and all the porter was left to move was the cot), soured the experience further. The room we moved to was very spacious but tired, not 5 star and neither were the swimming/spa facilities. Every other member of staff was extremely friendly and we had a lovely breakfast in a very impressive dining area. Hotel is refurbishing rooms and areas and in time will hopefully be worthy of its 5 star rating again but, for just now, my advice would be to use one of the many alternative hotels Edinburgh has to offer.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Do not accept room 465 which is adjacent to a heavily used service cupboard with industrial...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Nitin R, General Manager at The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton
Responded Jan 28, 2025
Dear Fmm_23, Thank you for sharing your feedback following your recent stay with us at The Caledonian Edinburgh. We sincerely apologise that your experience didn’t meet your expectations, particularly with the room upgrade and the issues you encountered. It’s concerning to hear that the room you were assigned was not up to standard, and I truly appreciate your honest comments about the noise issues and your interaction with our housekeeping supervisor. We certainly don’t want anyone to feel like an inconvenience, and I’ll ensure this is addressed with the team. We’re glad to hear you had a positive experience with the reception staff especially with Chloe, the breakfast, and the overall friendliness of the team. It’s also good to know that you were moved to a more suitable room after raising your concerns. We’re actively working on refurbishing the hotel, and your feedback is invaluable to help us improve. I hope you’ll consider staying with us again in the future once the renovations are complete. Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.
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It doesn't have a salon, but it's not uncommon to be able to ring someone to come to hotel and not outrageous in price. There are also loads nearby, but honestly don't go too elaborate. You will be rained on go through a wind tunnel.
There are more places to choose from in the Edinburgh area.
PRICE RANGE
$230 - $551 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
hilton international edinburgh, hilton edinburgh, edinburgh hilton
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Caledonian Hilton Edinburgh Hotel
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandEdinburghWest End
NUMBER OF ROOMS
235
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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