Six Things We Liked and Three Things We Disliked About Kimpton Charlotte Square:
SIX THINGS WE LIKED:
1. Exceptional service.The staff are clearly well-trained--friendly, courteous, and professional. We had great interactions with everyone, from the front desk to the restaurant and room service teams. Although we had an issue with the bed (discussed below), they really went above and beyond to try to resolve it.
2. Great location. It's about a 30-second walk to Rose Street, a 1-minute walk to Princes Street, and a 10-15 minute walk to the Royal Mile. Plenty of restaurants are within walking distance.
3. Nice bar and restaurant. Baba, a Lebanese restaurant connected to the hotel, has a nice bar and happy hour from 5-6 p.m. We had dinner at Baba once; while it wasn't exceptional, it was good. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to try Aizle, the fine dining restaurant, but we heard great things about it.
4. Room upgrade through AMEX.We booked our room through AMEX Travel and were upgraded to a larger room. We stayed in room 573, which was a comfortable size--not huge, but definitely not a shoebox either.
5. Decent breakfast. The breakfast was okay! I wouldn't pay £30 for it, but since it was included in our AMEX booking, it was a nice addition.
6. Good gym.The gym has enough equipment for a solid workout. While it's not as nice as the Caledonian or the Sheraton, it did the job!
THREE THINGS WE DIDN'T LIKE:
1. The mattress. Wow, I could've slept on the floor and not noticed a difference--that's how firm the mattress was! I complained to the hotel about it, and they tried to resolve the issue by adding pillow tops and extra duvet covers, but it didn't make a significant difference. Because of this, I was unable to get a good night's sleep. It was easily the worst mattress I've ever experienced in a hotel, especially at a 5-star establishment. I'm unsure if all the mattresses are the same, but I would definitely avoid the mattress in room 573.
2. Mediocre food. As I mentioned earlier, breakfast was included through our AMEX card, which was a nice perk. However, I would not be happy if I had paid £30 for the breakfast buffet; it simply wasn't great. Beyond breakfast, we ordered room service twice and were unimpressed both times.
3. Flawed shower design. While the shower had great water pressure and heat, the design was flawed, leaving the floor covered in water every time we showered.
IN SUMMARY:
While the staff and customer service were exceptional, we won't stay here again. We typically stay at the Caledonian but wanted to give the Kimpton a shot. If you're going to spend money on a 5-star hotel, I recommend the Caledonian over the Kimpton. read more