DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Airport isn’t usually the type of hotel I stay in, or write about.  I just needed to find a bed to sleep in at Edinburgh airport, so it would be less painful for me checking in for a flight at 05:30 on a winter’s morning.  I was unfamiliar with Edinburgh airport’s layout, but the hotel’s website suggested it was within easy walking distance of the terminal building, so I booked it for £82.79 (room only).

The hotel emailed my confirmation and even texted me on my arrival day. But they didn’t send me details of how to get to it, so when I arrived at the airport I wasted time wandering around trying to find signs (there was only one for the Hampton Hotel). Finally I was advised to go to a bus stop outside, and I was told the long term carpark shuttle bus would drop me at the DoubleTree.  Re-looking at their website today I see that  I had missed their directions (silly me!).

Upon arrival I was welcomed when I was still 20m from the front desk, which was nice. The frontage and lobby reminded me of a mix of anonymous ‘affordable’ hotels I used to stay in in Oklahoma or North Carolina, when on business. There’s a clear middle of the road American feel to it.

My bedroom (333) was on what the hotel (and its American guests) called the 3rd floor, but in British terms it was on the 2nd. It seemed clean, comfortable and pretty standard corporate stuff with no designer flair.

I know DoubleTree isn’t pretending to be a 5 star deluxe place, but here are, nonetheless, some of the things which irritated me:

1. Mineral water isn’t provided!  I think it should be made a criminal offence if a hotel doesn’t provide free drinking water.  I had to pay £1.65 in the bar for a pint of water to take to my room, which, as it came out of their faucet, had the strong smell of fluorine and chemicals which I usually look to avoid;
2. Slippers are not provided. The bathroom floor was tiled;
3. My bed was not properly made up (things not tucked in properly);
4. The sofa was cheap and too soft;
5. In the very plain, white bathroom, the shower was in the bath;
6. There was zircon, but no aircon control in the room, so you had to make do with the temperature set by the hotel centrally;
7. The duvet was the thinnest I’d ever seen.

Now some positives:

• I was able to open the window and leave it opened all night, for ‘fresh’ air. Edinburgh Airport isn’t at all busy in the night and I wasn’t disturbed;
• The TV worked well;
• Temperature control of the shower was easy;
• I had a very good night’s sleep, until my 5am wake-up call came.

Bed and pillow comfort is very subjective, and this bed felt softer than I usually like and the pillows were much softer.  I’d been suffering with a stiff and sore neck for 2 months, which is always at its worst in the mornings. But that morning I was pain free.  So if only for that reason, I was glad I had stayed here.

When I checked out at 05:30 I couldn’t be bothered waiting in the cold for the shuttle bus, so I just walked to the terminal building. It only took about 5 minutes.

It was just a one night stay, and it was just an airport hotel, with several things that peeved me. But I can’t deny the good night’s sleep.

7/10