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Reviews of Royal Overseas League Hotel

3.5 out of 5
Royal Overseas League Hotel
100 Princess Street, Edinburgh, SCT

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 117 out of 371 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 179 out of 371 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 54 out of 371 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 14 out of 371 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 7 out of 371 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.6/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Paul, Bucks

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great position on main road
This was a great hotel, obviously been in business some time with experienced management. Everything about the hotel was was lovely with one exception. We were in an attic room with two small circular windows and restricted headroom in the bed area and the bathroom - having booked online via a third party I have to say that we were a little dissapointed that the room was nothing like the standard that the photo led us to expect,
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Kate, Philadelphis, PA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great Location
Hotel was in a great location with a fantastic view of the castle. We could easily walk everywhere we wanted to go. One of us thought the bed wasn’t all that comfortable, but being able to hear the dress rehearsals of the Edinburgh Tattoo was worth it.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

D, london

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Will come back again
Although a little difficult to get around the hotel with a buggy (steps to get to the lift) if was a small price to pay for the large and comfortable room (castle suite), very helpful dn friendly staff and the great view and location.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2017

6/10 Okay

Luke, Scotland

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great location but basic
As the hotel is on Princess Street close by to Waverley station, you couldn't get a better Edinburgh location. Room was basic with no ironing facilities in the room which most hotels do cater for nowadays.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overlooking the castle
We were in Ramsay suite, lovely large room overlooking the Castle, breakfast very good
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Gary, Fife

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice old hotel -Super Staff all round
Hotel could do with refurb in some areas, but the reception looks much better than last time so it’s a good start. The location is superb, the Castle view awesome, princes street below can be a little noisy all night but you should expect that. The staff in this hotel pull out all the stops for their guests and should be commended. Will be back.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Matthew, London

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Central and friendly
Very good value. Great staff, and central location. Could do with a bit of a spruce. Very fine porridge and lovely kippers for breakfast! I would definitely recommend for a short trip.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice view of castle
We had castle view room it was nice car discount with ncp was a bones and only 10 min walk to hotel good for shopping and a night out x.mass market
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

cindy, kirriemuir

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
Nice hotel would stay again so convenient for shopping on princes street
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

8/10 Good

Alan Lee

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Castle views :-)
Excellent location on Princess Street ( number 100) and only took us 10 minutes wall from Edinburgh Waverly station.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My Favourite Place to Stay in Edinburgh
Royal Overseas is my favourite place to stay in Edinburgh. It is an historic building, run by helpful staff. The organization itself does good work throughout the world, and I like supporting that. The breakfast is delicious, and the rooms are small but comfortable.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Alley, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Handy for the city centre
The hotel is in a convenient location near to the train station and the city centre.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Philip, Hull

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Comfortable and ideally placed
Very enjoyable stay. Comfortable room with excellent view. Breakfast was very good, both in quality and the view of the Castle.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent location!
Due to a mistake by a receptionist my arrival was not logged, meaning that my friend, arriving from Portugal was told I had not checked in. I wasted 3 valuable hours waiting in my room when she had left messages with a different receptionist. Such a shame, as I enjoyed the rest of my stay.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

8/10 Good

Traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice and central
Old-charm hotel in good condition, very clean with friendly staff. My single room (No.4) with castle view was comfortable and not very small. Some noise from people talking loudly&laughing down in Princes Str. after midnight. Satisfying breakfast.
Breakfast
The castle as seen from my room
Stairs
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very good value, excellent breakfast. Low pressure shower was only negative but acceptable at the price
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

ann, glasgow,scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
nice friendly hotel and very central
we had a room looking onto princes street but there was no noise..Have to mention waiter at breakfast I don't know his name but loved his stories made everyone welcome .
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

4/10 Poor

Daniel

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nope
Walked in, the lobby was so small you could hardly stand in it. It also had a terrible smell. They have the gross old fashioned (and unsanitary) keys attached to a piece of wood you have to turn in every time to leave. The wifi was terrible, the rooms were stuffy and damp feeling. The entire hotel had a bad smell and there was no AC. We checked in, spent an hour in the room booking another hotel and left and we didn't even care that we lost our money we had already prepaid here. No way I would stay here.
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

Naomi, Aberdeen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Lovely hotel, right on Princes Street
Booked this hotel last minute as we had a family wedding in Edinburgh. Hotel was very easy to get to as right in the heart of Edinburgh, about 15 minutes from the bus station. We had arrived well before official check-in time and the receptionist managed to get us into our room no problem. Very friendly staff, helpful and genuine. Our twin room was great, big room, very clean and comfortable.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2017

10/10 Excellent

Not Provided

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Joanna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great location.
Great location, lovely, friendly, helpful staff. Hotel a bit tired and in need of updating but warm and comfortable. A nice place to rest our weary heads after a busy day in Edinburgh. A very nice breakfast in the morning with a fantastic view of the castle.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

6/10 Okay

Vasant

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great location. The rooms are tiny and very very tired. The bathrooms need a refresh.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2017

8/10 Good

Anne, Liverpool

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
good location, friendly staff
Handy for the station. Welcoming, helpful friendly staff. Spacious room, clean and good facilities. Breakfast excellent, efficient service and good choice.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2017

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Rooms are a little dated, very clean & comfortable. Staff were extremely helpful. View of the castle from the Pentland suite fabulous. Excellent location
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Eccentric
Faded glory best describes this place. Rooms would not be this expensive anywhere else but they get away with it because its central Edinburgh. Breakfast is very good. The place is eccentric and just about gets away with it.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2017

4/10 Poor

K, San Diego, CA

Room rebooked due to construction
My rating is skewed since I didn't actually get to stay at this hotel. I booked a room with a view of Edinburgh Castle for my last night in Scotland. When I went to check in, I was informed that due to construction that was not complete, I was rebooked at another hotel. The other hotel was perfectly nice, but I did not get the view I wanted and was very disappointed.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

scouser, Liverpool

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect
From 1st to last day of stay in hotel it was excellent. Lovely staff very helpful and hotel room clean and comfy.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The locations could not have been better. The staff was helpful, pleasant, and friendly.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2017

10/10 Excellent

Susan, Edinburgh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic view of castle and Princess park.
Elegant old hotel with large rooms Amazing breakfast Easy access to train and tours All staff helpful 🎂🍸🍳🍾🍵🍉🌻🌷🌹
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Timothy

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2017

2/10 Terrible

Cath, Essex

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
view of castle
yes there was a view of the castle but through a tiny window. The room looked as though it hadn't been decorated for years - didn't stay for breakfast as couldn;t wait to get out of there. Never again!!!!!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2017

8/10 Good

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect location in an aging hotel
If you like to suspend time and imagine a time travel experience, then this is your hotel. It's an old club and we got a room on the top floor with a porthole looking out at the castle. I suspect it was servants quarters but bathroom was great with large tub. The hotel was dated but the staff was excellent, breakfast server was like from an old movie telling us jokes constantly. We loved this place.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Sharon, Scotland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel on Princes St
Impressed with the Rosl on Princes St. Stayed in a room with a view of the castle, which was lovely at night with the castle lit up. Staff were very professional, friendly and helpful. Breakfast was excellent, very tasty and plenty to choose from. Would definitely book the hotel again. But would not choose a room overlooking the castle again. Unfortunately for us we stayed on a night when preparations were being made for the concert in the gardens so it was quite noisy outside.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Castle view!
The promised castle view was excellent and favorably influenced my experience. Breakfast was included, with plenty of choices. The location couldn't be beat, so convenient to the castle, but in New town where it was a little quieter and nicer. This is an old hotel, so very small rooms, and imperfect electricity and wifi. caters to an older crowd.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Jacques, Northern Ireland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Centrally located
Central location, near Castle and city centre. Comfortable and clean room. Nice breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Great short stay
Excellent service from staff who accommodated me when the shower in the room stopped working. Room had a lovely view overlooking the Edinburgh Castle and it was very clean.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017

10/10 Excellent

Terry, Boston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice and good location
We traveled throughout the UK and these were by far the most comfortable beds!! The front desk was extremely helpful with planning and taxis, etc. We had tea in the bar area served by Michael who was very nice and entertaining. Beautiful views from there as well.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

4/10 Poor

Kelly, Canada

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Way too much money for the room condition
Rooms were very dated; old, dirty carpet, dirty, paint chipped walls, stained vanity, dirty windows and old furnishings. Hallways dirty, windows dirty, needs paint, needs carpets. I am sure that housekeeping staff cannot keep it looking decent as it is so old. Beds were hard and uncomfortable. Room rates are way out of proportion to what the condition of this hotel is. We could have paid less and had much nicer accomodations. I stayed here on the recommendation of a friend. Not good at all. One barmaid in the pub ignored us, after repeated requests for more drinks and appetizers. She finally said she would be back, but left and didn't return. We had to discuss our pub bill payment with the manager the next day, on checking out. She was accommodating and pleasant. Other desk staff were pleasant. Breakfast was very nice; staff were good. I recognize that this hotel is non-profit and supportive of various charities, however, it needs some serious attention.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2017

6/10 Okay

aged cyclist

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
living in the past, cyclists not welcome
we'd checked about putting our bikes somewhere overnight and made an arrangement, but when we arrived the on duty front of house was very unhelpful and thought we could store them down very steep stairs in the cellar. He didn't even say we could use the lift. A very nice different front of house told us we could dine in the bar as there was a function in the dining room. When we got there we were told this was not so by the same previously unhelpful person and that the advertised fixed price menu was not available. Clearly tired cyclists are not welcome. You should have seen his face! Our room for three turned out to have a sofa bed for the third person! Fold out sofa beds are hopeless to sleep on - all wire and saggy. The view of the castle was great but not worth the money. The whole building was in a very poor state of repair.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

6/10 Okay

Carrie, D.C.

Liked: Staff & service
Good location, average facilities
Located in New Town close to the train station. Good sized room. Lumpy mattresses, in great need of updating the furnishings. Nothing to write home about
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful view with great location to the castle..highly recommend
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

2/10 Terrible

Dan, Abu Dhabi

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Second Rate Hotel
The only thing this hotel has going for it is the location. This is a second rate hotel. If you book this hotel don't say you were not warned.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Darlene

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location
We loved the location or this hotel. It has an observation bar that you can sit and see Edinburgh Castle - which is directly across the street. Great location for catching the bus, train or air lift. Stairs to the elevator, which only goes to the 4th floor. We had rooms on the 5th floor and had to climb a flight of stairs to get to our room. Nice made to order breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Edinburgh
Good location. Friendly staff. Very good breakfast. Rooms looking a bit tired in need of decoration. Lack of view from back rooms.
Dear guest, Thank you for giving us a perfect rating and for recommending our hotel to other tourists. I’m sure our whole hotel staff enjoyed catering to your needs as much as you enjoyed your stay. If you’re traveling to our area again soon, don’t hesitate to contact us. All the best Reception ROSL Edinburgh

10/10 Excellent

james

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
amazing view
This place does indeed feel like a private club. Staff courteous and helpful. Room quite small but clean and comfortable. The dining room must have one of the best urban views anywhere-just right out over the castle.
Dear guest, Thank you for giving us a positive review and for recommending our hotel to other tourists. I’m sure our whole hotel staff enjoyed catering to your needs as much as you enjoyed your stay. If you’re traveling to our area again soon, don’t hesitate to contact us. All the best Reception ROSL Edinburgh

8/10 Good

Caroline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

10/10 Excellent

tracey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely Hotel
Fab
Dear guest, I appreciate your positive feedback about the ROSL in Edinburgh. We do take pride in catering to our visitors’ needs the best way we can. If you’re traveling to Edinburgh again soon, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be very happy to accommodate you in our hotel. Regards Reception ROSL Edinburgh

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Character, central and amazing views
This hotel is suited to the traveler who delights in history and doesn't mind exchanging the usual (often bland) international hotel style which has become so overly pervasive at the moment for truly quirky and unique character. The hotel is a part of a private member's club and a vestige of the old Empire and so has an atmosphere which is almost never achievable in hotels anymore. I was taken back to Lucia and Mapp and Bertie Wooster. Each room provides a book telling the history of the Royal Overseas League, a quick read will help to make one's stay even more interesting. I have always stayed in much more glamorous hotels in Edinburgh in the past for a great deal more money, but I think I will return to the Royal Overseas in the future, the view, the staff, the quirky nature, the history. So much more interesting.
Response from Patricia Mayoral on 21 Jun 2017
Dear guest, I appreciate your positive feedback about the ROSL in Edinburgh. We do take pride in catering to our visitors’ needs the best way we can. If you’re traveling to Edinburgh again soon, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be very happy to accommodate you in our hotel. Regards Reception ROSL Edinburgh

8/10 Good

helen, UK

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice hotel
Great view of the castle, perfect location and lovely breakfast
Response from Patricia Mayoral on 30 May 2017
Dear guest, I appreciate your positive feedback about the ROSL in Edinburgh. We do take pride in catering to our visitors’ needs the best way we can. If you’re traveling to Edinburgh again soon, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be very happy to accommodate you in our hotel. Regards Reception ROSL Edinburgh

8/10 Good

nicola

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Great Stay
Breakfast was amazing. Lovely castle view.