Hotel Review: A Queen Room with Sofa at the Novotel Edinburgh Centre

I booked the Novotel Edinburgh Centre because it is a four star hotel featuring a pool, sauna and steam room. The hotel is also handily located in the middle of Edinburgh, near to two train stations and the tram.

My Standard Queen Room with Sofa cost the princely sum of £81 / €96 / US$106 / A$146, which is not bad. Since I visited in March it was hardly high season in Scotland, hence the rate.

Check-In

After visiting The Haggis Box for a meal, I arrived at the hotel and fronted up to the check-in desk. At this place, the attendant uses a mobile phone to check you in, which is unusual. I think being on a mobile to do such things would be really irritating personally.

Asked if I wished to use the pool, I was given a form to complete and return before doing so. I also received another piece of paper with a QR code on it and some hotel information. Next I was handed my key and directed to the lifts.

My Room at Novotel Edinburgh Centre

Room 411 is where I was allocated, and once on the fourth floor it was a very short stroll. Upon entering the room, I was presented with a pleasantly furnished space.

Interestingly, the toilet was located in a separate little room beside the entrance door. Across from that was a wardrobe to hang things in. I also liked the USB sockets for device charging, something that is becoming more and more common.

An Interlude at Dragonfly

Not long after I arrived, I met a friend and we headed off to Dragonfly Cocktail Bar. It is conveniently located pretty much around the corner from the hotel.

The bar is in a building that was previously a fire station and has been sympathetically converted. When on the street, blink and you’ll miss it as it’s not a big place, but they do do lovely drinks!

Room Service At The Hotel

Room service orders and in fact any contact with the staff is supposed to be done via WhatsApp. I duly made a room service order at 7:13pm and received back an automated reply straight away.

Not receiving any other acknowledgement, I rang 0 on the room phone and asked to order room service. Advised to do it on WhatsApp, I said that I had and lo and behold my message was read and the order was confirmed. Happily it arrived not too long after. Chef Yuyun’s authentic Indonesian Sambal Sauce was as hot as advertised and very delicious. The pork belly and noodles were perfect and the Asahi washed it down well. All in all, an enjoyable meal for a total cost of £25 / €30 / US$33 / A$45.

Overall Thoughts

What about the pool, sauna and steam room, you might ask? After seeing friends in Glasgow the day before, getting the train to Edinburgh and then drinks at Dragonfly, I was pooped. Once I ate room service, I pretty much went to bed, as I had an early flight home the next morning.

The Novotel Edinburgh Centre is a pleasant hotel to stay overnight in. The bed was quite firm, which I thought was fine, the shower warm and the room clean. Service from the staff was nice, but a bit detached. I would stay here again when visiting the city.

Have you stayed at this hotel before? What did you think? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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