A hotel in Edinburgh has hit back at a disgruntled guest who left a scathing review after the luxury stay failed to live up to their expectations. The English customer shared their opinion on popular website TripAdvisor where they slammed the hotel for lack of quality and uncaring employees.
The reviewer added that the hotel was "not worth the price tag" and that it was an overall "awful experience". The reviewer, Julia from Leicester, was particularly aggrieved at the bed which she found to be "too hard", while the views of the city centre also, apparently, failed to impress.
But Scotsman bosses assured her that all their beds are "high quality", reports EdinburghLive. And hotel chiefs also highlighted that her room overlooked some iconic sights of the capital's city centre.
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 Deluxe 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 Edinburgh Waverley railway station. They added: "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 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 served 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.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
