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4.0
#79 of 163 hotels in Edinburgh
Location
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The 4-star Novotel Edinburgh Centre hotel is located in the heart of the Scottish capital. After a day exploring Edinburgh, recuperate in our heated pool & spa, and join us for cocktails and craft beers and contemporary cuisine in the Tap Kitchen & Bar. And when you're ready to relax, discover the meaning of true comfort in our newly upgraded rooms..
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Accor Hotels.
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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The Novotel Edinburgh Centre earns praise from guests for its clean, spacious rooms and a central location that puts Edinburgh Castle within easy reach. While the hotel's atmosphere is generally appreciated for its modernity and vivacity, some visitors have noted the music can be too loud and the bathroom designs a bit unconventional. The warm and friendly service is often highlighted, although busy times can lead to occasional service hiccups.
Amenities like the pool and gym are popular, despite some remarks about the crowdedness and small changing areas. While many regard the hotel as a good value, the cost of breakfast and bar items can add up.
Location
Central
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Satisfactory
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This hotel was a lucky find! The location is SPOT on, service is great, rooms are spacious. My only complaint is that there is no AC (I know, I'm really letting my American show) but with the windows open in the evening and fan on with curtains closed during the day, it was very tolerable. I purchased the option with breakfast included - what a value! I could eat an amazing breakfast and be good for the large part of the day. The location made so many highlights walkable. The last day of my trip I did 22k steps! But Royal Mile is maybe a 5-10 minute walk, Grassmarket is a couple of blocks away, parks nearby, restaurants nearby, express market around the corner. If/When I return, I will definitely stay here again.
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Date of stay: June 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:I didn't bring a bathing suit, but the pool looks inviting!
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 MIKHAIL MYASIN, General Manager at Novotel Edinburgh Centre
Responded 26 Jun 2023
Thank you for your kind words and feedback about your time with us. I am happy to read that you had a pleasant stay at Novotel. i am glad that you liked our rooms and your feedback will be shred to the team. Thank you for your feedback and compliments about our staff. Regards Neli Stoyanova Front office manager
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We visited as a family of 4, children 8 & 13. The hotel has a great lobby entrance, with seating inside the lobby and direct access to restaurant and bar. It's airy and the staff welcoming.
Leaving bags at the hotel prior to check in not a problem! Left in a secure locked room with individual security tags on them.
During our stay, all of the staff were fantastic! All engaging and friendly. We left with the feeling the hotel couldn't do enough for us! Even leaving bags after check out to go off into Edinburgh, saving £50 for 4 bags compared with left luggage at Waverley Station!
Whilst the hotel was busy we didn't feel crowded, it was a great location however you do feel wherever you go in Edinburgh you're going uphill! The Castle is a stones throw away as well as the old town, the sight seeing tour have a stop nearby to the hotel.
We walked all day and really enjoyed a swim and relax at the end of each of our days. The only complaint (minor) is that the changing areas are quite snug in the pool, the pool for a city hotel is a cracking size, kids enjoy the pool whilst Mum & Dad get to relax in the jacuzzi. There is a gym however, didn't need further exercising after a full on day round the city!
The room (Executive Room With Queen Size Bed & Convertible Sofa) was perfect for requirements and we all fitted in, the television was massive and we could chill out watching some TV. The fridge was great for keeping drinks chilled. The shower was great, a thorough soaking, ladies with long hair the hair drier provided is not quite up to scratch but I am picking very very minor issues as I was over the moon with our accomodaton.
Breakfast - It gets busy and yes some people don't get queuing etc! However both children gorged themselves ready for a busy day, even grabbing some fruit on the way out. Staff work tirelessly to get eveyone through in a timely manor. The food quality is good, the range is awesome. My 8 year old's eyes lit up at the sight of cake for breakfast!
Again staff couldn't do enough and were thoroughly professional and well turned out throughout our stay, the hotel on the whole is in good decorative order!
Happy customer!
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Date of stay: February 2020
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
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I had a great stay at this hotel for the weekend. I was told i would be upgraded when we checked in to an executive room which was much appreciated. The upgraded room included a coffee machine an iron and free bottled water along with a massive rainfall shower. The bar attached to it was lively served a great range of drinks and had live music both nights we were there. Certainly no run of the mill stuffy hotel bar. Breakfast buffet was standard but filled a hole and the pool area was clean and the pool warm. Big shout out to the night reception staff who did us a deal on a late check out. Thanks for a great stay.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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 Amine Z, General Manager at Novotel Edinburgh Centre
Responded 29 Jan 2020
Good morning dunk151, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave your fantastic comments regarding your stay with us. I am very happy to hear you enjoyed our facilities and got to experience the Tap bar! Hopefully you choose to return to us in the near future, we hope to see you soon. Kindest Regards, Amine Zungi
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This was our first time staying in a Novotel Hotel but it had a 4 star rating, so I figured, "how bad could it be?" It was bad! This is not a 4 star hotel, more like a 2 star pushing to attain 3. One thing we are learning is; just because you paid for it, does not mean you are going to get it!
The location This is right on the Royal mile so you can't beat that. The hotel is within walking distance of most things in Edinburgh so you just can't fault the location.
Parking There is precious little parking so be prepared to walk a few minutes from the NCP car park. Also even if you paid for the 24 hours parking, you may need to pay for parking elsewhere if someone takes your space.
Reception The front desk staff were friendly enough but you can tell that they have been on this rodeo for a long time and the stress shows. Our room was not ready when we arrived at 3 but they did offer us another room.
Facilities One of the reasons we booked this hotel was the indoor pool, however, during the pandemic, the pool was off limits; which is understandable. We were also told that the advertised breakfast was being replaced by a continental breakfast and that there would be no house keeping. At this point, one would think that we are firmly in "discount" territory. This was certainly not the package we paid for.
The room We went up to the room and this is where despair set in! Don't let the term "superior" fool you as there is nothing superior about the rooms! They are all the same size with the bathroom configuration being the differentiator. It was not clean, the carpet was worn out and there was just about enough space to swing a cat! There is also no air-conditioning so we had to open the window to get some fresh air. That's when we realized that this also meant putting up with all of the noise from the main road just outside. The reception did bring us a fan, but come on! This is supposed to be a 4 star hotel!
Other options It was so bad that we marched to the next door Premier Inn to book ourselves in and would have done so if we thought there was any chance of us getting our money back from our 5 nights stay. The thing is, the Premier Inn offers a similar size room with full breakfast at half the price of the Novotel in Edinburgh city centre.
In conclusion So, do yourself a favour; do not stay at the Novotel Edinburgh city centre. Book yourself into the next door Premier Inn. It may not have "superior" in the room description but I guarantee you that it would be money better spent.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
I stayed at the Novotel for 2 nights with my husband and 2 children. It wasnt worth the £180 that we have paid. Upon arrival at the hotel we couldn't get into the hotel car park, when I asked at reception they said it was full and we had to park at ncp car park which they could get a discount but would still cost us about £30 for the duration of the stay. We managed to get parked at castle terrace which is free after 6.30 on Saturday until 8am on monday morning. We then had to walk up to the hotel which was about 7 minute walk with cases. When we checked in staff were friendly and gave us information on pre booking a breakfast slot in the morning and gave us our room keys. Entering the room we found a half bottle of fanta under the curtain and coffee stains on the walls from previous guests. So they haven't done a full clean of the room. Also ice machine in 3rd floor doesn't work so we had to buy ice from the shop to have a cold drink in the room. The breakfast are absolutely shocking they have a cheek to charge people for the state the bacon rolls. They clearly don't know how to cook bacon as it was undercooked. The coffee machine was broke so ended up having tea and a pastry then ate breakfast out after that. We normally would of ate our evening meal in the hotel but after seeing the state of the breakfast we ate out from then. Overall after staying in many hotels in the past I can say they really need to start listening to these reviews and stepping up as it's in a great location and could have the potential to be great if it was run properly.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Arrived for new year, to find due to computer errors, rooms had been double booked. Staff apologetic and offered tokens for the bar and then to the pool. We declined, as although hotel dog friendly, dogs are not allowed in these areas and can’t really leave them in rooms. They then offered to waive parking fee of £4 per day. Put in an accessible room with no bath towels as we discovered next morning so had to dry on hand towels. They moved us after 1st night to a different room at back of hotel. Unsure if rooms were equal standard to that booked. Rooms clean and beds comfy. Curtains great against light leakage. Would be great to have more than 4 small tubs of milk for brews per day though please and more ordinary tea and coffee. Staff friendly and helpful, but on leaving partner was asked for parking fee and he just paid it. Computer system does not seem to be noted with messages for staff continuity. Parking needs monitoring, it was a struggle a few nights with cars parking over the lines, taking 2 spaces etc. Also an old unregistered and untaxed car on there covered in green moss which hasn’t moved in some time. Still no dog poo bins though we suggested it last year and were told it was a good idea. All this aside hotel scores high due to its cleanliness and friendly staff.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Best view from the front. Back overlooks tram and trains
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 Amine Z, General Manager at Novotel Edinburgh Centre
Responded 19 Jan 2020
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for taking the time out to write about your recent stay with us. It's so great to hear that you enjoyed your stay and you gave a high score on Staff and cleanliness. We look forward to having you back in the near future ! Best Regards Amine ZUNGI
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So we were there for Hogmanay and booked the executive room with view of the castle. And yes we had a view of the castle but no one had mentioned there was a big building across the street of us with a Mary Poppins chimney roof. Anyway this room was full of mirrors, apparently executives love staring at themselves. My husband ate everything on the welcome tray within a few hours, however the tray was still there when we left the room 2 days later. The shower is fantastic with lovely shower products but with nothing to block the water, it ran everywhere, so we used our towels to dry the floor in front of the shower and the loo. Not practical. Then the toilet paper is extremely thin which is very uncomfortable. The bed was good and the USB charger is perfect next to the bed. There was however some kind of air conditioning system that is continuously active. We looked but did not find a way to shut it down. For sensitive sleepers (as I am) it is annoying. For breakfast, we had the best hot chocolate ever to come out of a machine. Scrambled eggs were great. Sausages and bacon rather greasy and the bacon was really thick instead of crunchy. There was plenty of food that I did not recognise. Of course the other guests were happy to explain but a small sign would have been nice. Breakfast service was good the first morning but the day after we left the table with each three empty plates still on the table. The bar was wonderful. Comfy chairs, friendly service, good cocktails and my kind of music (80-ies). Because the room had a view of the castle you also have an excellent view of the Hogmanay fireworks. Taking a bottle of Champagne to your room is not a problem. The hotel is not far from the city center so location is really good. The pool was full of kids (screaming and yelling) so we did not use it. Note: We had booked our room through the Accord reservation service where we were told that the room had a fixed price on the 31st that was not refundable (and a strong price it was!) but the girl at the reception of the hotel did not seem aware of this at all! Maybe better call the hotel direct if you would like to go!
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Date of stay: December 2019
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:We had room 523 (if I remember correctly)
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 Amine Z, General Manager at Novotel Edinburgh Centre
Responded 17 Feb 2020
Thank you so much for your in-depth review and am very happy to hear overall you enjoyed your time with us. Regarding the issues with your room I shall be sure to share these comments with our maintenance team. Kindest Regards, Amine Zungi General Manager
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Arrived 2 hrs after ‘check in’ time to face a 25 minute queue at the check in desk, only to be told that our room still wasn’t ready, that all the swim slots had been taken (other than 10.30pm- not great for the 5yr old) and only available breakfast slot was 7.30 or 10. We were offered a round of drinks whilst we waited but then I had to queue again for a further 10 minutes to get the room key
The room only had a shower, no bath which was disappointing as I do like a soak. The sofa bed had no head board/wasn’t positioned against a wall so the kids weren’t able to position their pillows comfortably.
The breakfast was varied and had something for everyone
The rooms were clean and nicely decorated
The location is good and the hotel offers a discount on car parking (good job too as the NCP is extortionate- £49 for 27 hours _ with discount it came in at £30)
Staff were friendly and helpful- clearly understaffed though demonstrated by the slow check in process
Would we stay again? Possibly
If you are visiting any time soon and want to use the pool/have breakfast when it suits you, then I’d contact reception and book in advance
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Call ahead to reserve a slot for the pool/breakfast
The hop on/off bus stop is just at the...
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.
Had a wonderful time in Scotland! First time we have been and although covid is still very much present we had a fabulous time and it didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. All of the eatery’s and bars we visited were very good with hygiene and following covid protocol! The hotel! Ok so good quick check in! Room nice.. I would’ve said very clean but we had noticed some drink splashes on the walls near the kettle. They were very easy to spot so not sure why a cleaner couldn’t spot? Other than that all good. For the rate I think we had a good room.. sensibly they are not entering and making up rooms unless you specify this so fair enough as some guests would not want anyone else in the room. We didn’t choose to have breakfast as I always think it’s over priced and over rated. Parking is something you shouldn’t rely on at the hotel. We arrived and it was full. We were told to park as NCP castle terrace down the road. It was actually fine you can stay over night as long as you need seems secure enough and the hotel give you a discount card so this reduces the rate. Good location for hotel very close the the castle and the grass market plenty of pubs and restaurants to choose from. We also had a day in Glasgow as only one hour away. The shopping is very good! Overall great time and will be back!
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
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 hotel is in a great location. The staff numbers are too low for the size of the hotel. The common areas are not cleaned regularly and the carpets in common areas are dirty and tired. The breakfast is cooked and left and there are not enough staff making sure the buffet runs smoothly. If you stay here because it’s unbeatable on the price for the location, then don’t add breakfast. There are so many places to eat within 5 minutes. Just turn left when you come out of hotel. Also, remember to request cleaning the day before as cleaners are not coming unless requested and they won’t bring fresh towels either unless you request a room clean. The room we stayed in (249) is a “family” room and was too small for a family of 4. The sink is located in the room not in the bathroom! The bathroom is see through glass so the person in there is in full view of the family if light is on! The pool is too small and if that is important to you, you will be disappointed as it’s very small and timed use is in place due to covid. Overall, good location but too many issues and we won’t stay here again. You get what you pay for at the end of the day and next time, we will pay a little extra to stay somewhere else.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
There are more places to choose from in the Edinburgh area.
PRICE RANGE
$244 - $519 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
novotel edinburgh centre hotel edinburgh, accor edinburgh centre, edinburgh novotel
LOCATION
United KingdomScotlandEdinburgh
NUMBER OF ROOMS
180
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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