Mercure Edinburgh City Princes Street Hotel 3 stars

We were due to arrive yesterday, however due to a burst CH boiler at home at 2.00am in the morning with temperatures at minus 6 we had to make a very late cancellation. Rang customer service at hotel without much hope and they were 5***** !! Booking changed, fantastic support and service along with sympathy towards our predicament. A HUGE thanks to them. Look forward to thanking them personally in a couple of weeks time.

First of all the hotel is ideally located right on the front of princes street and from the restaurant you have great views of the castle and princes street garden. The hotel is apparently currently under refurbishment which in our opinion is much needed, however we have stayed in many hotels and this is our 6th break away this year and we have stayed in other hotels within Edinburgh city and we found this hotel grubby, despite it being old it doesn’t detract from being clean. The hairdryer didn’t work in our room so explained this to reception and still wasn’t fixed in the 3 days we were there. The bathroom although was cleaned while we stayed the grout and sealants had mould and grime around them. We found 2 separate areas in the room that had mould spots. The bathroom door didn’t lock (we didn’t need it to fortunately) and was in bad repair. The price tag for this hotel for the quality of your rooms is extortionate, if this hotel was in your package European holiday brochure it would be a 2 star accommodation. We have taken pictures of what we found and will share. Staff were friendly that we came across but again your paying a couple of hundred pound a night you’d expect clean fixtures and fittings. We visit Edinburgh regularly and won’t bring staying here again.

The hotel is undergoing renovation so I had some reservations and, after reading reviews online, I nearly cancelled the booking. But then I decided to stick with it. I am glad I did. We got one of the new rooms with views to Princes Street and castle. I had requested but understood it was not guaranteed. Absolutely loved the toiletries and intend to buy that brand to have at home. Comfy bed, tea and coffee in bedroom. Great shower. Could do with shelf space in shower for the toiletries but that is just a detail.

We took one room on Floor 7 with a castle view - it was excellent. Two others on Floor 3 were rather cold, but otherwise fine. The breakfast was excellent.

Can't thank all the wonderful staff enough for adding that extra personal touch to our stay. A special mention goes to the courteous and thorough baggage gentleman who greeted and served us in such a welcoming friendly manner each time he saw us. My eldest daughter and I visit each December. for a birthday / christmas shopping trip. Away from the chaos of home family life, I spend a magical Edinburgh break with her, a tradition we started 5 years ago at the Mercure. We wouldn't stay anywhere else, aside from the perfect location, it feels like coming home to our happy place. Thankyou everyone