Intercontinental Edinburgh The George, Fourth View Suite

The InterContinental Edinburgh The George is a lovely place to stay while in Edinburgh. The rooms are spacious and intelligently laid out. For American visitors the rooms are comparable in size to the US and not like more Euro-centric hotel chains with smaller rooms. Everything was clean (even under black light). The bathroom is exceptionally spacious and has a dual shower heard setup with both a handheld and waterfall showerhead. The one issue I had is the drain stoppers significantly inhibit draining of the sink and tub. As for amenities the included breakfast is continental along with an a la carte option. The breakfast service is however hit or miss and quite rushed. Certainly not a relaxing experience as you are subtly pressured to eat as fast as possible and leave to accommodate the rush. The location is very central and a short walk from Edinburgh Waverly train station. Once in the hotel though there is quite a convoluted process to reach some rooms. You have to at one point go up a floor then walk to a new section and go back down. After staying a night or two you get used to the drill.

I wouldn't recommend because the rooms are noisy. Otherwise nice hotel. Two months before my stay, I sent an email requesting a quiet room, as I am a light sleeper. At check-in, I confirmed this again and the receptionist assured me that the room was quiet. However, I was placed in a room directly opposite the housekeeping room, and I was woken up every day at 6:15 AM by the staff starting their cleaning routine. I went to reception to ask for a solution, but I was told the hotel was fully booked and that they could only move me on my last night (the 5th night). When that day came, the new room they offered was next to the elevator, facing the main street with a lot of noise and of a lower category than the one I had paid for, an even worse option. When I complained again, the only person who genuinely helped us was Yulia, who showed us the remaining room options and placed us in a quiet room. Thanks to her, I finally slept well, but only on my last night after four nights of poor sleep. At no point did the manager come to assist, and overall I felt treated with little care, except by Yulia. Unfortunately, I would not recommend this hotel for the reasons above, especially for anyone who values a good night’s sleep, as that was not my experience