Fraser Suites

Great location even though it’s a bit pricey. My room came with a kitchenette which had small fridge, hot water kettle, microwave, sink as well as dishes and silverware. This was helpful to cut down on cost of food. Only gave 4 stars instead of 5 because the bed&pillows were too soft for me. Otherwise, right off the Royal Mile across from St Giles. Plenty of food options to include Starbucks, Pret A Manger (sandwichs, salads, soups, tea/​coffee, pastries pretty cheap) and easy walk to Waverly Train station and New Town as well as up to Castle. If you are trying to save on food, dont get breakfast at hotel, plenty of places along or right off Royal Mile to eat. Would stay here again!

I have very mixed feelings about Fraser Suites Edinburgh. At first, it seems like a very pleasant hotel, with friendly receptionists. After that however, the situation takes a turn for the worse. First of all, there are 7 floors, the lift however, only goes to 6. To get to the second floor, you have to traverse 3 sets of stairs, both up and down! Think about it, when lugging suitcases, the last thing you want is to have to traverse stairs to get to your room. Once overcoming this difficulty, getting to our room. At first the room seemed nice, with good views. However, this was not the case. For one, the curtains and carpet were not at all clean, they were imbued with dust, not reassuring. Furthermore, and worst, the living room of this «apartment» was TILTED, this made it quite an awkward experience. Yet, the Sofa Bed in the living room was of very poor quality, not maintaining shape and constantly changing its position throughout the night, not providing adequate sleep whatsoever. Furthermore, the bathroom, the shower, while providing hot water, the shower cubicle leaked copious amounts of water into the living room! To add insult to injury, the towel rail stopped working as well, not what you expect out of a top name. Still, the next morning, at breakfast, I was surprised by the astounding limited choice that was offered when the website claims a FULL CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST. The breakfast waitstaff were very unhelpful and sullen and seemed least interested in doing anything at all. What surprises me is that I have never had such a terrible Fraser Suites experience anywhere else in the world. Their hotels in Singapore and Dubai are absolutely stunning, not lacking in any aspect. What I do commend the hotel on in Edinburgh is that the housekeeping and handyman were extremely helpful and cheerful people, as were the receptionists. Beware people, do not believe for one second the photos that are shown of the hotel on the Fraser Suites website, in real life, the rooms are nothing as in the photos.

I have strong feelings about the guest experience. Perhaps it comes from my days working for Disney, where’s it’s all about the «show.» Show standards dictate that the guests on Disney don’t see the realities of what makes the theme park/​hotel/​etc work so well. It helps to maintain the illusion, and nobody does it better. From a front-​of-​house «show» standpoint, Fraser Suites fails.
First off, the hotel is beautifully designed, with aesthetically pleasing color combinations throughout. However, the longer one dwells on the appearance, flaws begin to appear, turning appreciation into disappointment.
Starting with the lobby, the seating area adjacent to the front desk is nice, with very interesting black and white chairs, and large lamps hanging from the ceiling. Gaze at the lamps for more than 10 seconds, though, and you’ll notice dust and dead bugs in through the translucent center of all four lamps. Multiple chips have been taken out of the tables and floorboards exposing the wood beneath. Either you guys have rowdy guests, or your maintenance staff needs some training in being more observant. The morning we departed, half of the lobby was occupied by multi-​colored duffel bags full of bedding, returning from being cleaned. That’s great, I’m glad you guys are cleaning the sheets, but there has to be a better delivery system.
Room 304 was a big disappointment with poor craftsmanship visible throughout. The bathroom door didn’t fully close, the closet doors didn’t close, the half-​glass bathtub door wouldn’t budge. The beige carpet was notably stained across the entire foot traffic area. Everyone knows this color stains easily, and there should be a plan in place for regular cleaning, but it was some time since it was last cleaned. Speaking of stains, the decorative pillows are probably not regularly cleaned either; mine had some kind of white stain on the black cloth. Gross. Additionally, the furniture had seen better days, with scuff marks and worn away veneer on the desk and table. The closets were a complete afterthought, reminding me of what I’ve seen in college dorm rooms. The doors don’t match the rest of the décor, not even a little.
As for comfort, the room was fine. The bed was comfortable, but the sleeping pillows were awful. Time for a refresh, guys. How about some feathers?
Ultimately, I’m willing to listen to arguments that I’m nitpicking. We didn’t get sick or anything, and the staff was friendly. We also slept reasonably well although the pillows were terrible. So, you get three stars for checking the boxes. The problem is, the issues I’ve highlighted are easily corrected, and even worse for Fraser Suites, easily prevented. It just seems to me that, if one is not prepared to invest in the upkeep of furnishings which are more susceptible to visible wear, take the 3-​star hotel tactic and don’t buy those things. Stop cutting corners on maintenance. Be the hotel you want to be, not the hotel your pictures say you are. I want that for you, and I won’t return until it’s achieved.

We stayed at the Fraser Suites for 9 days in the beginning of September 2014. It is located just off the Royal Mile in Old Town so it is very convenient for touring the sites. We could walk to very nearly everything we wanted to do on our visit.
Our room was clean and efficient. Particularly loved the high ceilings and tall windows. We had a lovely view. Our room had a mini-​kitchen that included a fridge, microwave, sink, dishes and silverware for two. Also free wi-​fi. There was no included breakfast as there is in some U.S. hotels but the kitchenette make it easy to stop at the grocery and pick up milk, juice etc to get our day started.
There is a restaurant attached to the hotel, but we did not take advantage of it.
The staff was helpful and knowledgeable about the area and the sites. If we were to return to Edinburgh we would stay here again in a heart beat.

I was taken here for Valentines weekend and it was fantastic! We had the Observatory Suite and it was a beautiful room. From the sitting area to the porch to the giant bathroom to the comfy bed, the room was perfect! Its location is fantastic since it is practically in the middle from old and new town. The included Scottish breakfast was such a nice treat! The staff was very friendly and I would love to stay here again.

We took the train into Edinburgh, from London. Everyone told us to take books/​ipads for the train ride, but my husband and I were just… mesmerized.
The English countryside was beautiful, but it was almost like you could feel it when you crossed over into Scotland. It was beyond breathtaking. The green, the snow, the slopes… I digress– I suppose that’s more of a review for the train ride and less for the hotel, so I’ll get back on track.
When we arrived into Waverly station, it was an incredibly short walk to the hotel. I don’t think I was even aware how short it was, exactly. What i also wasn’t aware of was the fact that there was either a fairly steep hill OR the ‘News Steps’ to get there (Believe me, if a stair case has a name, it is SERIOUS).
We ended up walking up the hill, which was definitely the better alternative with our bags, but it was still definitely not the best after a 5 AM wake up and a 5 hour journey. It did take a bit of frantic «Did we come the right way?» questions to find the hotel.
The plus is — once you know where it is — the location is FANTASTIC. Minutes away from St. Giles cathedral, restaurants, the Edinburgh castle — you name it! It is also ridiculously beautiful. Everything is classy, the help is fantastic. When you’ve got the location/​your belongings settled, the hills up and down are pretty easy to take on. If I had one complaint, it was that the wifi was a bit spotty in our room. Who comes to Edinburgh to be online though, right? Plus, WIFI in the lobby/​staircase area was fantastic if you needed to send something desperately.
Next time I’m in Edinburgh, I’ll stay here again, no question.

Great location and helpful staff. Price is also quite good.

We got a really great rate on a room at Fraser Suites on
for our 3-​night stay in Edinburgh. We chose this hotel for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, its location. Located along the famous Royal Mile, it’s in the heart of Old Town – and perfectly situated for taking a walk across the bridge to New Town.
It was a wee bit difficult to find when we arrived at 12:30am into nearby Waverly Station. We came across a couple of chaps who were fresh out of the bar – they desperately wanted to help us find the hotel, but were unable to offer much assistance (even though we had a map, and one of the blokes has lived in Edinburgh his whole life), but it was a friendly, character-​filled introduction to the city. So, we continued on until we saw the beautiful St. Giles Cathedral lit up spectacularly in front of us – the hotel was just a stone’s throw away.
We had notified the hotel of our post-​midnight arrival, so there was no hassle in getting checked in at such a late hour. Upon entering our room, we were delighted by the abundance of space and amenities. Fraser Suites has done a great job of blending the historical character of Edinburgh with 21^st century technology. The darkwood wardrobe closet was HUGE, the draperies majestic, and the loveseat adorable! We had a very modern kitchenette fully stocked with dishes, hot cocoa, coffee and shortbread – So, if you’re planning on visiting Edinburgh for more than a few days, Fraser Suites would be a perfect place to stay if you want the ability to prepare some meals of your own. The bathroom had a rainfall shower, teek shower floor and a towel warmer (that I couldn’t figure out how to use). There was broadband internet, but no wi-​fi.
My complaints are few, but should be mentioned:
1. Our «executive suite» was supposed to have a separate bedroom (away from the living/​work area), but instead was an open floorplan. It didn’t end up being a big deal, but I would at least like to get what we paid for.
2. Another feature listed in our room description was a «City View». Well, call me crazy, but I don’t think a view of the backside of the building behind the hotel qualifies as a view of Edinburgh. Surely disappointing – we chose not to spend much time in our room, and ventured out for views of the city.
3. Due to the open design of the shower area, and a flaw in design of the drainage system, I nearly flooded our bathroom when I took a shower! Perhaps our room just has a faulty drain due to a sagging wooden shower mat, but it was something I would’ve rather not been concerned with.
4. They have an airport shuttle, but it costs £20 (something we didn’t find out until the morning of our departure, which caused some unnecessary stress as we rushed to an ATM), but perhaps we should’ve asked. Also, we had the shuttle reserved for a particular time, but it had apparently been somewhat double-​booked. We waited over 30 minutes for the shuttle to arrive, leaving us to rush to the airport and nearly miss our flight to London.
Ok, so perhaps my list of complaints is a little longer than I thought. But all in all, it’s a clean, comfortable hotel with beautiful interiors. I would stay here again, although next time, I will certainly look into other options in the area as well.