The Carlton Hotel

A belated birthday treat from my wee cuz, I have stayed here several time before but not for some time. The entrance lobby was stunning especially the staircase.
We were early for check in but that was no problem, the Receptionist was very pleasant and efficient our room was ready and we emptied our cases and went for lunch.
After lunch we decided to check out the spa facilities they were a bit tired especially the shower area although we did enjoy the pool, Jaccuzi and sauna.
The facilities in the room were very good apart from the heating the radaitors could do with bleeding but the temprature was fine. There were plenty of hot drinks and toilet sundries, there was also a mini fridge which would have been a mini bar at one time I liked it better empty for our water and soya milk for the wee cuz.
I decide to make a hot drink and the kettle was steaming away and the fire alarm went off I thought it was me who set it off and wee cuz was on the bed wafting a towel under it, but it was not us and we had to evacute the building.
Everything was done in a very efficient manner and the staff could not have been more helpful.
The housekeeping was of a high standard, the leisure staff very friendly and all the Reception Staff were very plesant to deal with.
I won’t leave it so long next time befor I visit The Carlton again

We were a group of friends that stayed at The Carlton over a weekend. The hotel is below average.
The tiles in the bathroom were coming off, the shower curtain was so close to the wall that it was impossible to shower without it sticking to you. I don’t think the person that put it up, ever tried showering there, haha. Amazingly annoying.
We had twin beds and when we moved them a little away from each other, we found a half bottle of leftover soda, and some peanuts on the floor.
The windows in the room we stayed in were so thin/​bad that we could hear noise from the street all night, even with them closed.
The hotel is pretty worn-​down, especially considering that its not really a cheap hotel to stay at. But their location is good!
Would not recommend.

This beautiful hotel is located in the perfect spot right off the Royal Mile. It is easy to walk to the Palace or Castle from this location. The staff was friendly and courteous during my entire stay. I greatly enjoyed staying here for a week with my family while visiting the wonderful city of Edinburgh.
The complimentary breakfast has a good variety of hot meats, eggs, beans, cold fruits, cereal, bread and croissants.
The rooms are nicely decorated and the bathrooms are large. My only complaint is inconsistencies with the cleaning staff. They did not change my towels. I am fine with using the same towels for a few days, but what really bothered me was the fact that they didn’t change the washcloths. I finally left a note with a tip requesting clean washcloths, and I received one. I didn’t receive any more clean washcloths until I again left a note with a tip. Also, they didn’t leave new water in the fridge or tea packets daily, just from time to time. I did, however get a little bonus of lip balm and a face spray one day next to my soap.

I invited some friends for a night of pampering and stayed at the hotel for the night… When we arrived, the room was not ready (330pm) but they offered us to leave our things and we can just go do our pampering and come pick up our stuff later. I asked if they can just have our things brought up to our room instead of us coming to the lobby after our massage where we would just want to go to our beds and sleep the night away. Unfortunately, that service was not available. So we had to come to the lobby, haul our stuff, head to the elevators, wait for the elevators… continue waiting for the elevators… and yes, we were still waiting for the elevators… a few more minutes later, still no elevator service. So I asked the reception desk if there is a problem with the elevators but she said no and we just have to wait. So let’s say after waiting more, we needed the alcohol… so we climbed the stairs to go to the bar. But, we thought, we’ll check the elevator first. Lo and behold, one of the 3 elevators were working! So we skipped the bar then proceeded to our rooms — totally stressed. Overall, our pampering was great. The room is nothing special for a 4 star hotel (I’ve seen better 4 starred ones). The hotel location is fab. Breakfast the following morning was the basic — also nothing special.

I visited the Carlton Hotel a while back for a spa day and I had probably the best massage that I have ever had in my life.
If I hadn’t been at Uni studying Journalism then my next calling in life would definitely be learning Swedish massage, so I love going to get one, although to be honest, I am often left a little disappointed. Unfortunately I can’t remember my therapists name but if I could I would recommend her to you ten times over because she really was so professional.
It wasn’t cheap (although I had been given a complimentary voucher for it for a birthday so that sorted it out), but it was worth it. I had a lavender and sandlewood oil, and my therapist gave me a full body massage, including a head massage, and by the end I was actually almost drooling half asleep! I was given a white fluffy robe and left for about 15 – 20 minutes to get ready and shake myself awake, which was better than being shoved out the door like most places!
I can’t comment on any other facilities but the massage was absolutely spot on, and I would pay good money for the experience again!

They say it’s all about location, location, location and if that’s the case then this would probably be the world’s best hotel. But I’d say it’s also about character, service and getting what you pay for.
I was in here for cocktails with a friend a while ago, and it was my first time ever in the place. I have to say, it was pretty soul-​less. Being part of the Barceló chain, you know it’s always going to be more or less the same standard as any of their other hotels in terms of cleanliness, prices etc but the bar area definitely lets them down in this one.
For starters, although it’s open to non-​residents (in fact, they usually have a blackboard outside on North Bridge plugging their latest drinks deals) there are no signs or directions or anything when you walk in to the reception area. This wouldn’t have been a problem if any one of the half dozen or so members of staff around had been willing to help or even acknowledge that we’d walked in.
When we eventually found it, the table we sat at was dirty. Not a good start. We saw from looking around that you waited at your table to order your drinks rather than going to the bar yourself, so we waited… and waited… and waited. After nearly ten minutes we went up to the bar, only to find that half of the things on their cocktail list were out of stock.
Then we had the same problem with the bill. We’d asked for it, but then waited another good 10 minutes or so before going up to the bar to pay. It wasn’t even busy either; I could have counted on one hand the number of other tables that were occupied, so I don’t really know why the service was so slow.
The cocktails themselves were great, which is why I’m not giving it 1 star. Apart from that, not great really.

We stayed in the Barcelo Edinburgh Carlton Hotel the first weekend of August 2009 for 3 nights.
Whether you like this hotel or not is going to be very taste dependent. First, there’s no doubting that it’s in an excellent location: right on the Royal Mile at the opposite end of the street from Edinburgh Castle. The view from our room were great & it’s walking distance to many must-​see places within Edinburgh.
The downside to its location, however, is the sheer noise from the street that occurs during the Fringe Festival/​Edinburgh Festival. Because the Royal Mile is lined with pubs, rowdy drinkers were out whooping it up directly beneath our window until 5 a.m. If you do decide to stay there during the Festivals, make sure to avoid taking a room overlooking the Royal Mile.
The hotel itself is nice. The staff cooly efficient. When I developed problems with my flat iron & suspected it might be the outlet, the staff responded almost immediately to my request to inspect it (it wasn’t the outlet).
The lobby is grand & spacious, though not really outfitted for sitting for long periods of time & people watching due to the lack of seating.
However, the rooms are beginning to show their age with worn carpeting and furniture that has seen better days. Despite this, however, the rooms were clean and had a few amenities: iron & ironing board, pants presser, hair dryer, safe, refrigerator. All in all, the rooms were not unattractive, just not as newly refurbished as I’ve come to expect.
But it would have been vastly more comfortable had the air conditioning actually worked. The days we were there, it was sweltering inside the hotel room, despite the air-​con going all day & night. I think the heat was due in part to the full wall, ceiling-​height single pane windows that let the direct sun in all day long, despite having the curtains drawn during midday to help keep the heat out. Despite our inquiries, we were told that the air conditioning was, in fact, working – though clearly to no effect.
In sum, I think I would probably look elsewhere to see if something else in the area was available before staying here again, though I wouldn’t completely rule this hotel out due to the convenience of its location.
But I definitely would NOT stay there in the middle of summer in the room that we had – the noise & air conditioning situation were just too uncomfortable for me to bear again.

The Carlton is situated in a wonderful place — just a hop from the Royal Mile and a skip from Waverley station. Cross the bridge and you’re in the heart of Princes Street. The hotel itself was a bargain at the time of booking — a 14 day advance rate being just £60 per night, on its own website.
The 4 stars aren’t merited anywhere else in the world — it’s a British peculiarity. The rooms are large, though dull and uninspired. There is a small fridge, some comfort in the beds and a dated TV. The public areas tell a rather flasher story and you can’t help but feel a bit let down. Nice people though and a cheap in-​room dining service. All in all — fabulous value, but not a romantic or luxurious place.