Kimpton Charlotte Square, An Ihg Hotel

“Edinburgh Treasure”

Gorgeous hotel with amazing staff and delightful amenities. We loved the decor, the comfortable room, the artwork throughout, the bountiful breakfasts (included), the daily social hour, and the surprise treats. The house restaurant, Baba, is fabulous with Interesting and delicious food. But best … more

Gorgeous hotel with amazing staff and delightful amenities. We loved the decor, the comfortable room, the artwork throughout, the bountiful breakfasts (included), the daily social hour, and the surprise treats. The house restaurant, Baba, is fabulous with Interesting and delicious food. But best of all was the first-rate service. Every staff person we encountered was warm, friendly and very helpful. Zoey, Ruby, Nichola and Raghda were especially wonderful.

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“Location, gym, free happy hour!”

Positive - Free water and coffee, huge gym! It also had a swimming pool, dry and hot saunas that were clean. Loved the social happy hours from 5-6pm daily where you get free wine (and cocktail on Saturday), and mingle with other travelers. location can’t be beat. Only complaint was somehow we got … more

Positive - Free water and coffee, huge gym! It also had a swimming pool, dry and hot saunas that were clean. Loved the social happy hours from 5-6pm daily where you get free wine (and cocktail on Saturday), and mingle with other travelers. location can’t be beat. Only complaint was somehow we got the handicapped room, so everything was very low to the ground

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“Well Located Hotel with Small Rooms”

This is a very nice Kimpton in a classic building. Service was consistently excellent, friendly and attentive. Excellent concierge and front desk. Some free advice to the porters though: better to greet the guests outside at the door and help them with luggage up the stairs (which have no ramp) ra… more

This is a very nice Kimpton in a classic building. Service was consistently excellent, friendly and attentive. Excellent concierge and front desk. Some free advice to the porters though: better to greet the guests outside at the door and help them with luggage up the stairs (which have no ramp) rather than waiting until they have lugged things inside and then just rolling them on the elevators, which is something guests can do on their own) the location was central and very convenient (fitting with the high rates), once you find the place, which has only a tiny sign by the entrance. The building - or I should say buildings since it is a series of interconnected townhouses- is historic and interesting but also a bit rambling and confusing. The room we were assigned, with top IHG status, was really small and barely big enough for two guests with suitcases. Bed and bedding comfortable, bathroom pretty cramped and basic. Just didn't quite feel like a five star luxury space, especially given the price tag. The free social hour (something we always like in Kimptons) was not well executed. Overcrowded, no place to sit, bartenders not particularly friendly and no other staff there to orient you. All in all, impersonal and not relaxing so we just took our drinks to our rooms. Breakfast was a nice small buffet (though I wish they had more vegetables and salad) and a few pretty good a la carte items included. Attentive service and quality food. Overall this is a nice hotel in a very central location, just doesn't quite seem like a great value based on the rooms in relation to prices charged.

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“Six Things We Liked and Three Things We Disliked About Kimpton Charlotte Square”

We stayed at the Kimpton Hotel for a week. Here are six things we liked and three things we didn't like: SIX THINGS WE LIKED: 1. Exceptional service.The staff are clearly well-trained—friendly, courteous, and professional. We had great interactions with everyone, from the front desk to the restau… more

We stayed at the Kimpton Hotel for a week. Here are six things we liked and three things we didn't like: SIX THINGS WE LIKED: 1. Exceptional service.The staff are clearly well-trained—friendly, courteous, and professional. We had great interactions with everyone, from the front desk to the restaurant and room service teams. Although we had an issue with the bed (discussed below), they really went above and beyond to try to resolve it. 2. Great location. It’s about a 30-second walk to Rose Street, a 1-minute walk to Princes Street, and a 10-15 minute walk to the Royal Mile. Plenty of restaurants are within walking distance. 3. Nice bar and restaurant. Baba, a Lebanese restaurant connected to the hotel, has a nice bar and happy hour from 5-6 p.m. We had dinner at Baba once; while it wasn’t exceptional, it was good. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to try Aizle, the fine dining restaurant, but we heard great things about it. 4. Room upgrade through AMEX.We booked our room through AMEX Travel and were upgraded to a larger room. We stayed in room 573, which was a comfortable size—not huge, but definitely not a shoebox either. 5. Decent breakfast. The breakfast was okay! I wouldn’t pay £30 for it, but since it was included in our AMEX booking, it was a nice addition. 6. Good gym. The gym has enough equipment for a solid workout. While it's not as nice as the Caledonian or the Sheraton, it did the job! THREE THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE: 1. The mattress. Wow, I could've slept on the floor and not noticed a difference—that’s how firm the mattress was! I complained to the hotel about it, and they tried to resolve the issue by adding pillow tops and extra duvet covers, but it didn't make a significant difference. Because of this, I was unable to get a good night's sleep. It was easily the worst mattress I've ever experienced in a hotel, especially at a 5-star establishment. I’m unsure if all the mattresses are the same, but I would definitely avoid the mattress in room 573. 2. Mediocre food. As I mentioned earlier, breakfast was included through our AMEX card, which was a nice perk. However, I would not be happy if I had paid £30 for the breakfast buffet; it simply wasn’t great. Beyond breakfast, we ordered room service twice and were unimpressed both times. 3. Flawed shower design. While the shower had great water pressure and heat, the design was flawed, leaving the floor covered in water every time we showered. IN SUMMARY: While the staff and customer service were exceptional, we won't stay here again. We typically stay at the Caledonian but wanted to give the Kimpton a shot. If you're going to spend money on a 5-star hotel, I recommend the Caledonian over the Kimpton.

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