The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel Review

Had to move rooms hit it was taken care of quickly by friendly staff. Would stay again.

Pick up an Afternoon tea at home. Absolutely amazing. Good first class, presented very well. Yes would be lovely to be in peacock alley but this is definitely a excellent second best.

Great historic building. Staff wonderful. Proper hotel. Lack of car park only drawback.

Iconic venue to enjoy Afternoon tea, it's rooms are host to visiting politicians and corporate interviews

The service and staff were excellent - nothing at all to complain about!
My daughter kindly booked for two nights for my 'special' birthday and I couldn't have wished for anything better. In particular, Joanne on reception deserves a gold star - excellent!
When we returned to our twin room on my birthday, a balloon and a half bottle of champagne were waiting for us. A really nice surprise!
Unfortunately because of roadworks outside we were unable to sleep on our second night even with earplugs in. The young night porter was brilliant and found us another room, away from the noise. He kept apologising but obviously it wasn't his, or the hotel's fault. The hotel did everything in its power to make sure we had a good night's sleep. Excellent service!
The only constructive criticism I have is that the 'hot' breakfast was luke warm. The second day I ordered from the menu and didn't take food from the buffet - much better.

Really really disappointed with this stay. Having stayed earlier in the year, the manager appears to have no compassion to those who are exempt from mask measures for covid. Despite advising I was exempt as per the Law, the manager refused me entry to any dining area in the hotel and proceeded to threaten me to wear a mask or find another hotel. I feel discriminated and would not now recommend to anyone. Unfortunately one staff member has ruined my view and having previously stayed at this hotel with no issue, it is very upsetting.
Updated to response. There is no law requiring a person to show an exemption certificate, this is purely optional under UK law. There is no requirement for anyone with a physical or mental health condition to prove so, only to advise they are exempt. As previously advised I will be lodging a formal complain with Hilton and also looking for legal advice on the basis of discrimination.

Good place to stay. Great location ! It has great restaurant

Excellent hotel, friendly and super efficient staff. Pleasurable visit.

Weekend break at the caley was exellent definitely recommend it. Going again early next year edinburgh a great place to visit 10/10

I attended a wedding at Caledonian last month. The hotel was nice before but since it become Waldorf it's simply fairy. The interior was magnificent, like in an old palace. The staff has everything under control during the whole evening, apparently it's really experienced. I plan to spend next New Year's eve there.

A very relaxing evening on the comfortable couches in Peacock Alley. Service is good and the decor is what you expect from this class of hotel. No need to be a resident to use these facilities and drinks are reasonably priced. There is a taxi rank outside and a bus stop opposite.

The building used to be a railway station and the station clock in the former waiting room is still there: 5 minutes fast so you can catch the phantom trains.

We had a fantastic time. Could not fault the service. Staff brilliant. Look forward to staying yet again

Prime location, upscale decor and quirky history. I believe the only car park available is valet parking which was expected. The floor creaks but there aren't much commotion to keeps you wake at night. Toilet is big and the bed are comfortable.

The service was top notch, the concierge was even nice enough to laugh at my bad attempt at humour.

The place to stay in Edinburgh, everything is just perfect, room, breakfast, service.

Fantastic hotel. Great amenities. Room is comfortable.

Exquisite hotel and the staff is delightful. Bed was super comfortable too!

Brilliant hotel. Really enjoyed our stay and will definitely be returning soon. Amazing staff and service. Location is perfect and views of castle are outstanding.

The stand out in this amazing hotel is the staff, they are super friendly and very helpful, they will always try to process your request. The decor, location, rooms, facilities were perfect for our short weekend in Edinburgh. Will highly recommend this hotel if you're in Edinburgh.

Stunning hotel. And the concierge team (Thomas, Malcolm and Issam) are a fantastic contribution to this hotel along with the rest the staff

Stayed between September 1st - 3rd 2020.

Location: Walking distance to Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh High Street, Edinburgh Station

Booked via Amex Fine Hotel & Resort offer. On arrival, our room was upgraded to Robert Louis Stevenson Suite. Great offer indeed and the gentleman at the counter was very kind and professional. The room is huge with a separate living room and a very clear Edinburgh castle view.

In addition to the room upgrade, we were offered free breakfasts for the two days via Amex FHR. The service level was overall top notch even comparing to the 5 star hotels in London.

We had an afternoon tea at Peacock Alley and it was indeed a good experience as well. During our 5 days staying in Edinburgh, we stayed at The Balmoral and Waldorf Astoria. Many people comparing these two hotels for a top place to stay in Edinburgh.

Based on our experience we can confidently recommend that Waldorf Astoria is better than The Balmoral in terms of service level and the room condition.

An excellent experience the staff where very professional ,the place is spotless clean .I recommend this hotel to everyone.

Wonderful night. (was for big occasion in the judo world ) seeing old friends ..people I'd not see for over 30 years. . The staff and food were excellent

Asphalt and insult on the name of the company Waldorf Astoria service Zafft and rooms MB sweet never believed sincerity insulted on the name of the company

Nice meal before the Festival fireworks. We shall return.

Excellent service, lovely food and delicious cocktails

Had a lovely stay for our anniversary, great food and very friendly staff. Special mention for Charlotte from Human Resources who spent time chatting with us and on finding out it was our anniversary had lovely champagne and chocolates sent to the room, nice touch! A real gem and a credit to the Hilton organisation.

Luxury living at its best
Fantastic rooms and restaurants atmosphere wonderful and very classy
Great location and extremely helpful staff
Unique selection of cocktails for all

Only had drinks at the hotel.beautiful surroundings .drinks superb.

Although other hotels may lay claim to the title of Edinburgh's top hotel, the Caledonian is hard to beat. The views in the Castle View rooms are stunning, the breakfast is worth lingering over, and the service is outstanding. The food is a particular highlight - 'delicate Scottish' is perhaps the best way to describe it. Now that the renovations are complete, if you want a premium hotel experience in Edinburgh, this is it.

Historical and iconic building in Edinburgh, great location and relatively reasonable prices if you book in advance. Rooms are rather small though and starting to look a bit dated.

Had afternoon tea here with friends
Lovely selection of sandwiches, scones and cakes
Comfortable easy chairs and a harpist which added to the already perfect afternoon.

Stayed here with my parents for 3 nights, on our second day I left my case of AirPods and headphones inside our room charging and later that night, when my family and I came back, they were gone. Notified the staff that very night, had to remind them in the morning, said they would talk to security. One if their managers said she was sure we could get some sort of discount for our troubles. The following morning when we were checking out the manager working the morning shift said they couldn t do anything. Go figure! All I can say is be sure to keep your valuables in the safe or take them with you when you leave because someone in housekeeping definitely stole those AirPods and who knows what else they might manage to steal and get away with...

From the first moment when you are in this hotel you feel a special person. The friendly and attentive staff met me at every request giving me advice on everything. I enjoyed the inside room with a wonderful afternoon tea, the Pompadour restaurant for dinner and the relaxing Guerlain Spa throughout the day. If you plan to take someone with you to Edinburgh take him to the Waldorf Astoria Caledonian.

Very stylish place to eat and relax after a days shopping

Service isn't really as good as you'd expect from the quality of the brand

Great scenery, a lot more to be desired when getting into the fine details.

The service we had during our stay was perfect. From arrival we were made to feel very welcome. The hotel is stunning

Attended reception and dinner event. Great environment and high quality service.

Lovely. Staff respectful, helpful, and overall behaved as one would expect from a place like this

The amenities we're fine. Arrived early for check in and was told by staff they would contact me when the room was ready but it would be ready by 3. They did not follow up or contact me even thought I could see other people checking in and getting rooms early.

The most fantastic afternoon tea, with a wide array of teas from which to choose and a great selection of savoury and sweet treats.

Great rooms, really spacious family room with 2 super king size beds and ensuite bath and separate shower. Fabulous view of the castle from our room. Very attentive staff. Spectacular building. Worth it to spoil yourself

Great service. Fantastic dining options in hotel, comfortable bedding. All around relaxing.

Enjoyed an excellent stay there over the Christmas period with my girlfriend. Beautiful views of the city, including the castle, from our room and terrific service. Always happy to spend a night or two there when I head home to Scotland.

Incredible view! Very lovely building, during Decemeber the lobby and stairs were beautifully decorated.

Just went to the bar. Table service totally lackadaisical. Much quicker to stand at the bar.

You can, and can certainly expect, enormous luxury here. Do not be shocked by the prices, but that is not surprising at this location. Keep in mind that they include the service they offer separately on the bill.

Great service, very clean and the view of the Castle from the bedroom is fantastic.

Beautiful historic hotel. The staff is wearing traditional Scottish attire.
And is very considerate.
We had a problem with hot water.
The manager did the right thing and outclassed us.
It deserves to be emphasized.
Only negative point the windows do not open and a lack of lighting in the hotel.
The lobby the breakfast room and the room.
Beautiful area

My friend treated me to afternoon tea for a birthday treat absolutely beautiful the food was superb the staff lovely the decor and atmosphere perfect i will go back very soon

Amazing building, service could have been better. The concierge we dealt with was not very helpful.

This hotel didn't seem up to standard for the Waldorf Astoria name. The room was small and cramped, and the bed was uncomfortable. One thing I will say is the rooms were clean. The common areas were not, however. The spa seemed particularly dirty and had a disgusting smell in the area near the locker rooms. Finally, a couple of the breakfast staff were downright rude. In general, the staff didn't seem too interested in customer service. When claiming to be a five star hotel, the standards are high, and the Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh fell short.

The price is high, the facilities are old, and there is basically no service. The room is not even water, you have to call every day, never turn on the night bed service, even the four-star hotel standards can not reach. Not recommended to stay here!

our room was great, however, a little outdated.
the bathrooms were clean though the shower was nothing great.
The building itself is old but nonetheless overall great hotel.
rooms- 4.6/5
bathrooms- 4.4/5
staff - 5/5
service- 5/5
overall cleanliness - 5/5

A superb experience for start to finish. Every member of the team we meet were outstanding and helped with every request. Breakfast was fantastic and due to being a diamond member we were upgraded on arrival. An excellent hotel in every way!!

Disappointing experience

We stayed two nights in August. On arrival at reception parking was not indicated and nobody was at the door to welcome us.
Once we requested valet parking, we were left alone at the reception and could not check in for at least 15 mins.
Ceiling in the premier room had a leak and was not repaired properly.
The hotel was definitely not what we expect from a WA.

We visited to meet with friends visiting from England. Couple of drinks and coffee in the bar as we watched the awful weather pass us by! As the name suggests it is a first class hotel, we noted many people in the lounge having afternoon tea, do something to put on our "To Do" list. The Concierge at the entrance welcomes everyone as they arrive, we briefly chatted with him as we left. Wearing tartan trees and his Army cap clearly identified he was ex military, very smart and knowledgeable. We asked about the former House of Fraser store opposite and we learned it is to be a whisky experience shop where you will learn about the history of the particular brand and have a tasting session. The upper floor will be a top class restaurant it seems. Work has not long started do will be couple of years before we can sample a dram or several and experience the food. Next stop for us will be afternoon tea at the hotel!!

Great staff
Over priced
Breakfast average
Rooms small
No bath
Clean
Great location