The Glasshouse, Edinburgh

This hotel is very nice! The hotel staff is very accomodating, pleasant and at your service. The rooms are spacious with beautiful bathrooms with heated floors and towel racks. This hotel has a modern flair to it but stands in a beautiful historic looking building. It's location is quite good with much to do at a short walk's distance. Our room was on the third floor which is the garden floor. We had a terrace out on the garden which was on the hotel's roof. I enjoyed this hotel very much and would definitely stay here again.

We stayed in the Glasshouse on our wedding night and, living in the city, had heard only good things. However, our experience there was awful and really spoiled our otherwise perfect day. Very briefly (as I could go on and on): got a call at 1.30am to say we had not paid (while giving credit card info upon booking was assumed it was for payment) so had to arrange for my mum to meet us at checkout the next day as we didn't have any cards on us. Fair enough, probably our fault. Were kept up until after 3am due to loud music coming from the club DIRECTLY BELOW the hotel. Had paid extra for 'romance package' and expected breakfast in bed as part of this but got none. The lifts were out of service when we checked out so had to traipse down the stairs with our luggage and wedding outfits in tow with no assistance. Worse still, the stairs had no markings so we had no idea which floor we were meant to get off at and my husband banged his head badly on an unmarked low beam. The receptionist could not have cared less and only asked, repeatedly, even after our explanation of the situation and the fact we weren't going anywhere, when we would be paying. Of course we wrote to complain and received quite possibly the worst repsonse I have ever had for anything from the general manager. He said the club closed at 1.30 so we shouldnt have been disturbed too long but we know, not just from our epxerience that night but from living in the city and the fact that guests from our wedding went on to the club, that it didn't close until 3am. He said we should have taken the initiative to put in our breakfast request on our arrival - we received no menu and no one even prompted us to make a choice even though they knew what package we were on. The lifts were down due to a fire alarm in the building next door apparently but no alarm was on in the hotel, no signs were up and no member of staff cared to explain that to us or offer us any assistance. He said he walked down those stairs many times and had never once hit his head - I thought he was very rude and there was no mention of his height, my husband is very tall and surely anything below 6.5ft should have a warning? Knowing that we live in Edinburgh, he offered us a complimentary upgrade on our next stay but, let me assure you, we will not be taking him up on that offer. The disupte is ongoing. The manager seems to think we're just moaning for the sake of it and we are maybe not very tolerant of noise but we live in the city and are used to the noise, we stayed in MIDTOWN MANHATTAN on our honeymoon and had NO noise problems there, and the Balmoral, the Scotsman and the Caledonian are all city centre hotels which are not directly above a night club and do not have the same noise problems. I would recommend you stayed in any of them rather than the Glasshouse.

When you book a five star hotel in a capital city, you have to expect something a little, well, special... I chose this particular hotel as a treat for my girlfriend and having driven up from London the first thing was it was difficult to find if you don't know Edinburgh. The receptionist guided me in then announced that i was to park in the pay as you go car park. This was definately not what I was expecting for 'car parking included'! And you can imagine prices in central Edinburgh. Then on arrival we were asked to hand over creit card for Pre Authoristation. Transalte this as 'I want to swipe you card in advcance for a service/items you have not had and you will agree to pay what we charge'. Needless to say I refused. At which pint I was told they needed to clear the minibar and I would be refused room service. Apparently company policy. The duty manager could not see my concern with handing over my card details - akin to an open signed cheque - and then why I was upset with their demand to clear the minibar. This was to assume thought I had paid upfront for a five-star hotel, I am now assumed to be a theif and incapable of staying in a room complete with some drinks, lest I drink them and don't pay. I left them to mull it over and check with their manager. I was then hounded twice in room, once to clear minibar even though they agreed to check and didn not. Secondly to threaten me to leave the hotel if I did not give my card or clear minibar. I phoned my bank and asked for advice and was told on no circumstances to hand over card details, and advised that I should work in cash if I needed to hand a deposit over as they could not guarantee how much would be taken off my card and I would be carte blanche authorising them to any amount. Thw hole fiasco, the conduct of the manager, the insolence of the staff had to be seen to be believed. They also wanted cah up front for 2 nights, not a single amount, but the amount per night! Would you really go to a top restaurnat and pay in advance for a meal you have not eaten?! The irony of this hotel is they run an 'honesty bar'. I can drink as much as I like, and then tell them what i have drunk and pay. So I could refuse to pay, let them clear the mini bar - then drink to m hearts content and not tell anyone... yet to sleep in same room as a few drinks without paying in advance - and they want to throw you out... I have stayed in hotels all over the world and never been treated like this, ever. I stayed in another hotel the following evening. I did not pay a deposit and they were fine with the fact I had paid in advance for a hotel room was good enough. My advice - don't touch this hotel with a barge pole...

We stayed here for two nights after getting married and were very disappointed. The morning after our wedding, we were woken by the repetive baseline of music being played in a room below us (a function room or bar in the hotel) at 8.30 a.m. The night after, on the roof terrace just 50 yards from our window, there was a wedding reception taking place in a marquee. We could hear every word the compere spoke and the music was so loud we couldn't hear ourselves speak. We were eventually moved to a room on the other side of the hotel, but by that time it was after 10 p.m. and our evening was ruined. The rooms were very nice, but overpriced and the breakfast wasn't even included. We won't be staying there again.

Me and my sister went up there a few years ago and we were greeted by "William" who helped us with our bags and was a star through our stay!! The hotel was clean and the staff were all friendly. We went into Edinburgh shopping for the day and when we came back loaded with bags 'WIlliam' was once again there to greet us, he took our bags for us and we went off for round 2!! The service we got from all of the staff was fantastic!! We have now booked my parents a weekend at the Glasshouse for their anniversary as we enjoyed it so much!! I just hope they7 enjoy it as much!!

I thought the hotel was lovely until the glass sink in our bathroom exploded!! Luckily this happened whilst we were out. We returned to find glass all over the hallway and the bathroom floor. Unfortunately, the manager of the hotel decided my husband and I had caused the damage! The police were called and we explained what we knew. Even though they found no evidence to suggest we were to blame and suggested themselves that the sink had possibly came to it's shelf life, we were asked to leave by the manager. We have stayed in many beautiful hotels and have never been treated so shabbily. We were extremely embarrassed and had to find alternative accommodation at 10 O'clock at night. Why anyone would think we had come away for a luxury break armed with a pick axe or hammer is beyond me!! I certainly would not recommend this hotel.

We were suprised at the good location and clean and quiet room overlooking the garden after reading other hotel reviews in Edinburgh. We stayed three nights in May for our daughter's wedding and while the weather did not co-operate we enjoyed the city very much using the umbrella supplied with the room. William greeted as we alit from the taxi and took charge. He is a valuable asset to this hotel, black gloves,black fedora and long black coat and full of energy. Always on the go. If you stay at this hotel you will not be disappointed. Has the usual heated towel rack and has the most comfortable bed in any hotel we have stayed to date.

This is a perfect hotel located only a few blocks from the "Royal Mile" and pricier hotels like the Balmoral. The rooms were beautiful and the breakfast delicious. I would highly recommend this hotel to anyone traveling to Edinburgh. Beautiful views of the city and an honor bar every night.