Hilton Edinburgh Carlton - A Comprehensive Review
/To celebrate both of our birthdays (which lie only one week apart), we booked dinner at the Dome in Edinburgh. The original plan was to head home after dinner but, since this for was a special occasion, we opted for a one night stay in the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton instead.
We’ve booked (and reviewed) the Waldorf Astoria in previous years so this year, we decided to go for a change. We booked a standard room and, thanks to the Diamond status, we were offered an upgrade to a King Junior Suite. The room came with free access to the hotel’s executive lounge but we’d have had this even if we were in a standard room, again thanks to the Diamond status.
A Brief History Of The Hotel
The Hilton Edinburgh Carlton is a historic hotel overlooking the Royal Mile in the city centre of Edinburgh. Whilst the Carlton has been a hotel since the 1980s, the building itself has a history which goes back long before that.
The property used to be a well known department store called the Patrick Thomson, opened by an enterprising Haberdasher in the early 1900s. The store was later bought by the House of Frasier and the name was changed. However, this rebranding was unpopular and proved to be the nail in the coffin for the store, which closed shortly after. It wasn’t until 1984 that the building was bought by hoteliers and the property has been welcoming guests ever since.
Where is The Hilton Edinburgh Carlton?
The Carlton is situated on the corner of High Street (part of the Royal Mile) and North Bridge.
Located in an ideal spot in Edinburgh’s Old Town, only a short walk across North Bridge to Edinburgh New Town, there are plenty of amenities nearby:
Edinburgh Castle (0.4 miles or 9 min walk)
Camera Obscura (0.4 miles or 9 min walk) - Check out our review
Royal Yacht Britannia (3 miles or 30 mins by public transport) - Check out our review
Edinburgh Vaults (0.1 miles or 2 min walk)
Princes Street (0.2 miles or 3 min walk)
Getting There
From Waverly Station
The Carlton is only a short walk from Waverly Station and you have two options to choose from. The shorter, more intense route and the longer, flatter route.
The shorter, more intense route involves leaving from the station’s south exit on to Market Street, then taking the Scotsman Steps (all 104 of them) up on to North Bridge. This route won’t take as long but bear in mind Waverly is in a valley between Old and New Town so the climb won’t be a suitable choice for everyone.
If you want a more relaxing stroll, take the station’s north exit on to Princes Street, turn right and walk around the corner of the Balmoral hotel on to North Bridge. The hotel’s right on the other side. This route is a bit longer but it’s a lot more relaxed.
From Edinburgh Airport
We’ve written a detailed guide on getting from Edinburgh Airport to the city centre. In short, you have three options:
Bus - The Cheap Option: Airlink 100 from Terminal Stop D to Waverly Bridge (then walk) - £4.50
Tram - Easy Option: Airport Tram Stop to York Place Stop (then walk) - £6
Uber - Fast Option: UberX (£18-24), Uber Exec (£27-37 or Uber XL (£25-34) - Prices dependent on demand
If you’re a new Uber customer, use my Uber invite code: andrewy2730ue or signup using this link to get a discount off of your 1st ride.
Is There Parking At The Edinburgh Carlton?
In short, not really. The Hilton Carlton has a deal with Waverly Station Car Park which is 0.4 miles (an 8 min walk) away. You’ll get 20% off for being a Hilton Guest but a 24 hour stay will still set you back £17. Edinburgh City Centre parking is very expensive so I’d try and avoid that if possible.
Check In
Official check-in time is 3pm. We arrived (after a short walk from Waverly station) just after 1pm. We were pleasently surprised by the check-in area’s modernity, which contrasted the historic face of the building.
Damon had already called to check if there were any upgrades available and there were. We were pre-assigned to a King Junior Suite (room 522).
The room wasn’t ready yet but reception gave us a key for the Executive Lounge (so we could wait in there) and they offered to store our bags. We weren’t expecting the room to be ready until 3 but the staff member very kindly came up to the Exec lounge around 2:30 and handed our rooms keys to us directly.
King Junior Suite
The King Junior Suite (room 522) was a great size, with a lounge area, a bathroom and a bedroom.
First impressions? The first thing we noticed was the view out of the window. The room had a stunning view out to the eastern side of Edinburgh, Arthur’s Seat and the Forth.
The room had a contemporary design but still kept some of its historic features, like its ornamental cornicing, which was a nice touch.
One thing we did notice in the room and the hotel as a whole, was the temperature. There were quite a few occasions when we thought they could do with turning the hotel’s central thermostat up.
Furniture
The bed wasn’t uncomfortable but it was firm, as were the pillows. I will say, that was not the case with the couch in the living area, which had an uncomfortably firm seat cushion and a back that felt more concrete than cloud-like.
Aside from that, a perfectly pleasant desk was situated in the corner of the bedroom under a mirror and a seat and table were placed in the opposite corner alcove.
There were TVs in both the bed and living rooms which stood on dedicated units with cupboard space.
storage
As is normally the case with a King Junior Suite, there was no shortage of storage. There were plenty of cupboards and drawers, in addition to the shelf space next to the bed and in the living room.
The Hilton-standard large wardrobe stood in the corner of the living area and that’s where you found the room safe.
One odd piece of placement was the mini fridge. I wasn’t quite sure what it was when I walked in the room. On first thought, it looked like a heating or AC unit. It took me a few moments to work out that it was a fridge. But it was just in such an odd location, on the floor, by itself, right out in the open.
power outlets
As is usually the case with Hiltons, there were plenty of charging points/electrical outlets on both bed side tables. Here’s the complete rundown of the room:
2 standard and 2 USB points on either side of the bed
2 standard and 2 USB points at the desk
2 standard plug points next to the Nespresso Machine
amenities
The King Junior Suite had standard tea/coffee facilities (Twinings tea, no decaf options) as well as a Nespresso coffee machine, with 4 capsules (all refilled daily).
There was a TV on a unit in the living area but, as previously mentioned, the couch was so firm that we didn’t really want to sit in the room and watch it. Thankfully, there was another large Samsung TV in the bedroom, which worked perfectly.
If you frequent Hilton Group hotels a lot, you’ll start to notice the same amenities appear again and again. The same brand of iron, ironing board, luggage rack, hairdryer etc. The same is true of this hotel and that is definitely not a complaint. It gives the brand consistency, which we appreciate, because we know exactly what to expect when we book.
There were supposed to be 2 free bottles of water in the room. You get this if you’re a Silver Hilton Honors member or above. This wasn’t the case here. Not the biggest deal since the alternative was perfectly clean Scottish tap water but it’s more about the principle than the practicality.
Later on in the day a member of staff knocked on our door to hand us some free treats (and we’re never going to say no to that).
Temperature Controls
The temperature controls were easy to use and responsive. The fan was quiet and the room reached the selected temperature quickly.
WiFi and internet Speed
We had no trouble with the WiFi but it was slower than what comparable Hilton hotels offered. We were getting download speeds of 4.88 Mbps and upload speeds of 4.66 Mbps.
house keeping
We almost gave this room a perfect score on cleanliness. It appeared clean and tidy on 1st impressions and, to be fair, that was the case with most of the room. But then grape-gate happened. Damon slightly moved the cushion on the living room couch and an old grape fell out.
There was, in addition, no turndown service at this hotel.
Bathroom
The bathroom was modern, a decent size, clean and tidy. There was a bath and a shower but both were quite small. There were no pressure or temperature issues, both worked perfectly.
Plenty of towels were provided and you could find two ridiculously cosy dressing gowns and slippers in the wardrobe in the living room. These were definitely better than the normal Hilton standard.
amenities
In some Hilton suites, better (or larger) than standard toiletries are provided. This was not the case in this room. We were given the perfectly pleasant (but standard none-the-less) Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries.
Hotel Facilities
Is There A Swimming Pool At The Hilton Carlton?
There is not a swimming pool at the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton. If you’re looking for an upper tier Hilton Group hotel with a pool in Edinburgh city centre, we’d suggest the Waldorf Astoria.
Gym
One thing the Carlton does offer is an impressively large and well-equipped fitness centre. The gym is located on a lower floor with a view out on to Waverly station. You’ll find a good range of exercise equipment (treadmills, free weights, exercise bikes, cross trainers etc.) and it’s open 24 hours, 7 days a week.
Executive Lounge
Access
This is one of only four Hilton Group properties in Scotland offering executive lounge access. The others are the DoubleTree Glasgow, Hilton Glasgow and Hilton TECA Aberdeen. To get access to the lounge in this hotel, you have to either be a Diamond Hilton Honors member or you have to be staying in an executive room or above.
The lounge was not open 24/7. It opened for breakfast and stayed open until 10pm.
Overall Design
The lounge was stylishly designed but it was incredibly dark, with little to no natural sunlight. The room, which was quite small, had large windows but the blinds were shut the whole time. You were almost instinctively drawn to the blind pull cords.
That said, the lounge was quiet (bear in mind we were staying on a Wednesday night). There were only ever one or two guests in the room at the same time, even when hot food was available later on in the day.
In addition, I’d like to commend the staff member that was there that evening. We never caught her name but she was incredibly enthusiastic and dedicated to her job.
Food and Drinks
For the small size of the lounge, we were actually very impressed with the food and drink selection. There were hot and cold drinks and snacks available throughout the day.
I will put in the caveat that one of the coffee/hot water machines was out of order for the duration. In addition, the one remaining machine broke later on in the day. The staff member was kind enough, however, to get us drinks from the main bar area outside the lounge.
Both the breakfast and dinner selections were generous. Our stays in the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice and the Hilton TECA in Aberdeen really lowered our executive lounge dinner expectations but we were both, again, pleasantly surprised.
A main course of chicken with roasted vegetables was served, alongside lentil soup, bread rolls, a cheese board and some chocolate cake. Regarding breakfast, you could pick from bacon, sausages, eggs, roasted tomatoes, pastries, toast, meats, cheeses and fruit.
Dining
The Edinburgh Carlton has two dining options to choose from. The Nineteen Hundred Bar and Lounge and the more expensive Marco Pierre White Steakhouse. We’ve noticed more Marco Pierre White Restaurants popping up during recent Hilton stays (check out our DoubleTree Sheffield and DoubleTree Chester reviews). Check out the Carlton’s restaurant menus here.
Breakfast
Breakfast was served in the Marco Pierre White restaurant. On arrival, the waitress showed us to a table and offered to get us tea, coffee or a soft drink.
The breakfast buffet selection was generous and all of the food was cooked to a high standard. Some of the breakfast items on offer included fruit, pastries, sausages, eggs, bacon, hash browns, beans, toast, muffins and waffles.
Check Out
Normal check out time is at 12pm. You can get late checkout but this is done on availability. Normally, this costs £25 per hour up to a maximum of 2pm but it’s free for Diamond Members.
Here’s where we had a less than optimal experience. Usually, if we ask for late checkout, we just ask when we check in. Sometimes the hotel can’t offer it until the next morning but they can add a note on to their system so they can check if anything’s available come the next day.
When we asked at check in, we were told to call in the morning. We asked again later on to see if they could add a note to our booking so we didn’t have to call. We were told to call in the morning. So, we phoned at 7am. We were asked to call back…at 8:30am. At 8:30am, we were finally offered late checkout, until 1pm.
Needless to say, we felt this situation could have been handled better.
Conclusion and Scoring
If you’re looking to stay in an upper tier Hilton Group hotel in Edinburgh, there are really two options to choose from. The Waldorf Astoria or the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton. Before we stayed here, I would have guessed the Waldorf would have been the obvious choice. After our stay, that choice has become a little more difficult.
The Edinburgh Carlton has problems to iron out, all remediable. Fix those problems and you’ve got yourself a fantastic hotel, with a great location, offering valuable access to an executive lounge.
I hope you received value from this review. If you did, make sure to check out our tour of the suite, the lounge and the rest of the hotel on YouTube. Subscribe to our channel, if you haven’t already, and sign up to our mailing list so you’re the first to see all of our new content.
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