YOTEL Edinburgh, ImagineX

I had a ground floor room and as, other reviews have mentioned, the rooms are not very sound proofed. I was adjacent to the room where breakfast is hosted and, despite having a corridor in between, the sound of chairs being dragged across the floor was as if it was overhead. This also occurred bizarrely as late as 11pm and as early as 6.30am. I sleep with earplugs in anyway, and I would consider them absolutely essential as the noise of the water pipes and air conditioning is also quite significant. The room was clean and nicely laid out but there didn't seem to be a way to turn on the reading lamps and the TV's brightness had been turned way down with no way to access the settings to turn it back up. The AC would turn itself back after about half an hour of turning it off, which meant it would come back on while sleeping, blasting cold air. There was also no kettle or hot drink making facilities which is unusual in a UK hotel. It's an exceptionally busy hotel, with coach loads of tourists waiting for buses in the foyer most of the time. None of this really bothers me but if you want a quiet hotel, this isn't the one. The breakfast was decent but expensive for what it was (£16.99). The self-check-in and check-out was straightforward and convenient to use. It's also really centrally located without being on the absolute busiest roads. The bed was comfy as well, which is always a relief.

This was my first time staying at this hotel after reading many reviews, and here are my thoughts: The room was clean and nicely presented, and the location is excellent – right in the city centre, which is very convenient. I arrived early, around 12:30 PM, and asked if early check-in was possible (standard check-in is 3 PM). The receptionist confirmed it was, but only with an additional charge – no complimentary option was offered. This was actually the first time I’ve ever had to pay for early check-in. On top of that, I was told that more charges would apply if I didn’t check out by 11 AM sharp, which felt a bit harsh. While the room was clean, it was not soundproof. I could hear noises from the corridor – from cleaning staff to other guests closing their doors – which made it hard to fully relax. There was no kettle in the room and no room service available. So, every time I wanted a coffee or tea, I had to go all the way down to the ground floor. My room was on the fifth floor, so this became quite inconvenient. The bar and restaurant had a very laid-back attitude, and the service was extremely slow – not ideal if you’re looking for efficiency or attentive service. Overall, the hotel does have potential because of its cleanliness and central location, but the lack of basic amenities, poor soundproofing, and disappointing service really let it down. They claim to be a four-star hotel – but having no kettle in the room and no room service just doesn’t reflect that standard.