An unhappy hotel guest from England said they were less than impressed with their stay at a hotel in Scotland and didn't hold back in a scathing review on the Tripadvisor website. But the hotel in Edinburgh was was quick to fire back and respond to the criticisms.
The reviewer, Julia from Leicester, said the hotel was "not worth the price tag" and that it was an overall "awful experience". She also criticised the hotel for lack of quality and uninterested employees, EdinburghLive reports.
The review also said the bed was "too hard" while the views of central Edinburgh also, apparently, failed to impress. But bosses at the Scotsman assured the guest that all their beds are "high quality".
The reviewer wrote: "I can not express how disappointed I was with this hotel. I did extensive research as I wanted somewhere nice for my birthday and picked this hotel as it had great reviews and being just under £370 per night for a Delux room with city views my expectations were high.
"Well what a shock I got. The Bedroom was average at best and certain not deluxe.
"The beds were appalling, we did not manage to get sleep as the beds were made from hardwood and screwed together.
"I felt like I was in a hostel. I felt like I was sleeping on planks." The customer was also noted calling the city view a "joke", as they were in full view of the railway station.
They also said: "The room was very noisy. The TV was so slow it was quicker to watch TV on my mobile. I paid for breakfast and they said I had not had that included in the room rate of £370 per night.
"Also it stated complementary whisky as part of their “in room features” which was false advertising as they only provided it on day one despite it not stating that.
"I did question if they were going to take the other in room items out of the room ie TV, HairDryer, etc. There were stains on the chairs and carpets."
They stated that the cleaning job was "average at best", and claimed there was mould growing in the bathroom. The reviewer stated: "They did not provide clean glasses and we had to clean them and we had to ask for Tea Bags and milk every day.
"The service at breakfast was awful as it depended who you were. We asked why some people were service tea/ coffee and others had to get our own. Breakfast was not fantastic."
The reviewer also criticised the nature of the staff's behaviour, claiming they were "not that friendly or helpful." They questioned: "Was I wrong to expect a good standard of hotel / room in Edinburgh for £370.00 a night? I have stayed all of the world and never experience just a poor service / standard.
"Not the birthday experience I had expected. The only thing good about this place was it was central so location was good."
The hotel manager thanked the guest for her review and responded to the issues she raised in turn. He added: "I am sorry to read there were aspects of your stay that did not meet expectations.
"Our beds are made from high quality hard wood and our mattresses are made by a leading brand. I am sorry to read the manufacturing process of these beds stopped you having a good night's sleep.
"Your room had views across Edinburgh Waverley and into Princes Street Gardens. I am sorry to read these views of Edinburgh City Centre were not the city views you were expecting.
"Our confirmation states "complimentary whisky upon arrival" and therefore it is not refreshed daily, however had you requested this, the team would have happily obliged. I have passed your comments on the cleanliness and service at breakfast to the teams."
Overall, The Scotsman generally scores a four-star on TripAdvisor, with many other customers praising the location, cleanliness, service and value for their stay.
