Review: the new The Resident Edinburgh hotel

This is our review of the newly opened The Resident Edinburgh hotel.

The last time HfP reviewed The Resident was in May 2016 at The Resident Victoria in London (you can read the article here).

We have stayed in touch with the group but not visited one since. We try to review as many new 4- and 5-star UK city hotels as we can, so what better opportunity to refresh your knowledge of the brand than the opening of The Resident Edinburgh?

The hotel had arranged a press event and I went along for one night to see the hotel and enjoy some entertainment. The Resident covered all costs except for my flight back to London.

The hotel website is here.

Where is The Resident Edinburgh?

The Resident Edinburgh is located in the West End. I arrived at Waverley by train and it was approximately 20 minutes walk along Princes Street. The area is upmarket with beautiful Georgian and Victorian residential buildings and a plethora of little shops, cafes and restaurants. It’s the perfect starting point for whatever leads you to Edinburgh, leisure or business.

(On my return I flew back. The tram to the airport is 5 minutes walk from the hotel.)

The hotel is a former office building which has been completely refurbished inside and out. Despite being the only modern building in the area it sits harmonously with its sandstone surroundings and my first impression was good.

The public spaces

Coming into the hotel the reception is on the right with very welcoming staff. As Christmas was approaching the public spaces were suitably decorated.

Opposite the reception is seating with an attractive fireplace.

The hotel does not have a restaurant – this is an important thing to note, especially as it means you cannot get a full breakfast in-house. I will return to this.

Despite that, drinks with some snacks can be ordered in the public areas or ordered to the room. There was plenty of space to lounge when I was there but the hotel had only been open for a couple of weeks.

There are complimentary evening drinks each day from 5pm to 6pm where guests can meet the hotel team (and each other) and learn more about the local area whilst trying out ‘locally sourced artisan drinks and snacks’.

The bedrooms have small tables to work on but the ground floor also has a dedicated area to sit down with a laptop if required.

The hotel commissioned some site-specific art and the public areas are tastefully decorated.

The library is a separate, more secluded room with was popular with guests – it took me a few visits to get a ‘people-free’ photo. Guests can choose from a good selection of books to read during their stay.

My King room at The Resident Edinburgh

The hotel has 164 rooms. 40 rooms have direct views of Edinburgh Castle whilst 40 have views across the Firth of Forth.

I was given a King room on the seventh floor which is the second of four room categories.

Right by the door is an umbrella stand and coat hooks. These are very useful because, firstly, it rains a fair bit in Edinburgh (there are umbrellas to borrow at reception) and, secondly, you often have to dry wet coats over a chair in hotels before you can hang them in the wardrobe. Here you just use the hooks and they are out of the way. Shoes can be left on the shoe rack.

The Resident hotels do not provide breakfast by default. However, every room has a mini kitchen with microwave, fridge etc. to prepare your own snacks. Certain items like juice, milk and other groceries can be ordered in advance and the hotel will leave them in your room.

Having said that, the location of The Resident Edinburgh in foody Edinburgh means that there are plenty of breakfast options literally around the corner. The Painted Rooster, Cairngorm Coffee Roasters, The Palmerston and The West End Brasserie are a few possibilities.

I had a very comfortable King bed with a small table and two chairs. The room is not very big but I felt it was well proportioned and cosy. Not in the picture was the wardrobe, ironing board, hairdryer etc.

The windows are narrow in The Resident, with mine facing north. It is not visible in the photo but I could see the sea and Forth Bridge in the far distance.

The bathroom is compact but with a large shower and Molton Brown toiletries.

I appreciated the small vanity table which was well lit with a large mirror. This is such a rarity in hotels where women more often than not have to contort themselves to get a good look at their make-up, not to mention being seated whilst applying it.

Superior rooms

I also had a chance to see the two higher room categories. The Superior room is almost identical to my King room but considerably more spacious.

You will look for tartan in vain in this hotel but there are still lots of subtle references to Scotland. The bed throw is woolen pinstripe, there are thistle motifs on the cushions and the specially commissioned pictures depict Edinburgh scenes.

This room faced south as you can see from the sunshine coming in. It is possible to see Edinburgh Castle from the higher floors.

Junior Suites at The Resident Edinburgh

The hotel has two Junior Suites on the top floor. Both have a balcony facing south with amazing views. It must be the perfect viewing spot for the Hogmanay fireworks.

There is plenty of space here with a wardrobe, seating and, around the corner, a window seat (not in picture).

The mini kitchen is identical in all rooms, regardless of category.

The Junior Suite also has a very spacious modern bathroom with rain shower and bath tub.

There is no gym.

Conclusion

The Resident Edinburgh is a new and stylish hotel in one of the best locations in Edinburgh for visitors. Rooms are, admittedly, compact unless you are in a Superior or one of the two Junior Suites but they are cosy and well-designed.

The lack of eat-in options is more than offset by its neighborhood location with bars, restaurants and cafes in line with the hotel group’s philosophy to engage with its surroundings – to be ‘a resident’, as you will be.

With everything shiny and new, and the staff friendly and engaged, I could not find any real faults here. You need to accept that you will be in a hotel without a restaurant or gym and where breakfast will be DIY or eaten out, but if you’re OK with that then you will have a pleasant time here.

The Resident is not part of any major hotel chain and you cannot earn or redeem any hotel loyalty points here. However, if you sign up for free to their membership programme you will receive:

• 15% off room rates
• 25% off drinks and snacks
• early check-in from 1pm
• late check-out at 12pm
• room upgrades if available

Pricing in Edinburgh is all over the place depending on the time of year, but for a Tuesday in January you can get a room from £136 before any membership discounts.

You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

PS. Some new ideas on things to see in Edinburgh

As I mentioned in the beginning of the article I was invited on an organised press trip. Apart from the hotel itself I was also shown what is nearby and what is worth visiting. Obviously there is plenty to do in this lovely city but I only had one afternoon and one night to pack in as much as possible.

I had been to Edinburgh before but never really saw beyond the Castle, the Royal Mile and Holyrood House. I was keen to explore more.

Our afternoon started off with a walk by Local Eyes Tours to Dean Village, home of historic water mills and interesting architecture, which is on the hotel’s door step, followed by St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. The tour guides were genuinely brilliant and very knowledgable.

The sight I found most intriguing was The Library of Mistakes which is literally behind the hotel. I had never heard of it before and apparently a branch is coming to London soon.

This was followed by a cocktail making class with Lind & Lime Gin which is based in Leith. I am not a massive gin fan but this was seriously good and it is worth trying their products if you see them around the city. You can also tour their distillery.

We had dinner at The Spanish Butcher which is a short stroll away from the hotel. The food was delicious with a great ambience. The evening finished with a whisky cocktail in the beautiful art-deco Johnnie Walker building on their roof top bar with its stunning views, photo above.

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