1 Festival Square, Edinburgh, United Kingdom | (888) 708-2081
City center
setting with views of Edinburgh Castle
Smart,
contemporary rooms with high-end finish
All rooms have
Bluetooth media hub with 37-inch flat-screen TVs
Outstanding,
six-level spa with rooftop infinity pool
Luxury bathrooms
with adjustable mood lighting
Three-level
underground car park
Restaurant and bar serving British fare and dozens of different gins
Fee for Wi-Fi in some rooms, and for higher speed in others
Hotel brand
toiletries
Expensive
breakfast
Dated architecture
While it doesn't look like much from the outside, the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa is a seriously upscale hotel with some outstanding facilities. The largest of its class in the city, the property has a six-floor spa, which includes an impressive rooftop infinity pool with views of Edinburgh Castle -- although the sauna and steam baths cost extra. The 269 rooms are suitably luxurious, with some great in-room tech and swanky bathrooms, some also overlooking the castle. As well as being the biggest hotel in Edinburgh, it's also one of the city's most expensive, but the Sheraton Grand does deliver a luxury experience for the money.
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Scene
Huge, high-end chain hotel with warm, contemporary vibe
Built in 1985, the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa hasn't dated well architecturally, a fact
which isn't helped by its slightly weather-worn facade. Inside, however, its two-year, multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2012 is still very much in
evidence; smart, sleek lines blend with warm, contemporary decor, wood
paneling, and polished black-stone floors. This hotel attracts largely
business guests -- numerous suits bent over laptops can often be seen in the
lobby -- but the high-back armchairs, mood lighting, and overstuffed cushions create a
modern, almost homey ambience that also appeals to a fair share of couples in town
for weekend breaks. As the name suggests, the hotel occupies a huge property -- offering the largest conference venue in
Edinburgh -- and is the city's biggest luxury hotel by some margin. Among the 14 available meeting rooms is one with stylish, turquoise-cushioned chairs, wood-paneled walls, and modern, retro-patterned drapes and carpeting.
Location
Centrally located between Haymarket and iconic Edinburgh Castle
The hotel is located off the busy and
central Lothian Road, between Haymarket -- a transit hub with plenty of pubs -- and the iconic Edinburgh Castle. The castle is actually visible from
many vantage points in the hotel, though its entrance is still about a 10- to 15-minute walk. The immediate surrounding area is full of restaurants, bars, and cafes, the best of which tend to be around Haymarket about a half-mile away. The
renowned Royal Mile, with its lovely cobbled streets and historic buildings, starts about 15 minutes away on foot. Princes Street shopping
district is about 10 minutes' walk.
Rooms
Smart, luxurious rooms with Bluetooth media hubs; some with castle views
The hotel's 269
rooms all benefitted from the 2012 renovation, and are decorated in smart, earthy
tones with contemporary design furnishings, leather upholstery, warm walnut
paneling, and wooden floors. The upscale finish is befitting of the hotel's
class, and the clean-lined, modern bathrooms with separate showers and tubs, and adjustable mood lighting complete
the luxury feel. While some rooms have superb castle views, others have rather
small windows and lack much natural light. Each rooms has a 37-inch flat-screen TV with Bluetooth "media hub" to watch DVDs, play
video games, listen to music, hook up cameras, or even charge phones. Wi-Fi
is an extra charge in Classic Rooms, and while free in others, there's a charge for faster premium access. Other
nice touches include mirrored walls, black-and-white illustrations of
Edinburgh by local artists, and opaque glass between bedrooms and bathrooms.
Features
Seriously impressive spa facilities and champagne breakfasts -- though pricey extras
A real highlight
is the hotel's huge One Spa health center, a six-story space connected to the
hotel by an elevated glass walkway. The spa has 17 treatments rooms, an extensive
gym, a selection of saunas and steam baths, and a seriously impressive rooftop
infinity pool with views of Edinburgh Castle (only the pool and gym are free to
guests, though not the rooftop Hydropool). The One Square bar and restaurant also impresses with an excellent
menu of British favorites, an outdoor terrace, and over 50 varieties of gin. Breakfast, too, is a lavish affair with a range of options, from simple continental to a
champagne breakfast -- though they're all pricey. The hotel also offers a huge
array of meeting and business facilities (including one fitting up to 500 people), as well three levels of underground
parking.
