Really like your totally unique format, including the high end menu items. We're staying in a Noble next month right after a couple nights at the Palazzo to see the Eagles at the Sphere so it'll be good to compare and contrast. Cheers!
Whoever chooses to come to this hotel should take into account that after he closes a deal and they give him the price, it's not over yet! When leaving, you are unexpectedly charged for a service and other extras (I remember it costing me about 200 pounds sterling).
Great review! Balanced, detailed, fantastic. The physical environment is critical but an hotel lives or dies by the people and service. Thank you Scott.
I was in room 1102 before moving to room 1016 because of construction noise. Room 1102 was long and Room 1016 was short. After the construction noise started at 730am I complained at 530pm... it took over an hour to get moved to a smaller room.
Stayed there 2 nights July 7-9. Don't stay here. 730AM I woke up to jack hammering construction next door which went on all day. At 5pm I went to the desk to complain, and the person said, 'It is supposed to end at 430pm'. Wrong answer. It took 1 hour 15 to get moved to room... that was smaller. That room the temp would not get below 75. Speaking of the hotel being hot... The upper lobby and lounge are so hot the staff is visibly sweating. Bartenders were unfamiliar with basic classic cocktails. For a hotel of this class and price... it should not have a staff of unexperienced 30 year old front facing it. The Mandarin Oriental NYC is a bit dated... but they know how to provide service. Stay at the Mandarin. Not here.
This is going to sound elitist but I don’t know any other way to say it. I’m not at all surprised at an American urban hotel. There just isn’t the same level of care and hospitality even at a so-called luxury brand. If you look at the reviews for Aman NY on Trip Advisor you see similar issues. Their user rating there is THEEE AND A HALF! And almost every write up points out the service flaws. That’s embarrassing.
Oh wow, 2 nights at the grand suite. Hopefully they lived up to their standard. Apart from that really enjoy your presentation through the whole video.
Wow, I had to check that this was really the Balmoral Edinburgh or another hotel…suite looks VERY different from website…not as nice as website at all 😮. Thank you
Loved the review of the hotel; putting it on our list for our next trip to Edinburgh this coming August! Our first return to Europe in seven years, now that we can travel safely once more.
So glad I saw this before we booked...I would only stay here based on service and it seems lacking. The Greenwich hotel is looking like the better option. Thank you for the comprehensive review!
This is the fallacy with the new Urban Aman properties. Aman has always been about the service, their guiding light is to provide a level of service and experience that is peerless in every way. Everything from Magic service to not asking a guests room number is what Aman is known for. However, all that doesn't matter if they cannot get the basics of 5-star service done right.
There is no way im paying over $2000 for this type of service. It's more about service than hard product for me. I can find good hard products anywhere. It's the service that makes me want to pay top dollars. I hope 3rd stay went good for you.
That's why I always prefer FOUR SEASONS, service wise top notch! Also the bed light didn't work at one side. DETAILS I know but at this price tag not acceptable
This hotel was known for most of its life as The North British hotel. A distinctive name, as I know of no other North British hotels anywhere in the world. I know that the invented name Balmoral may be thought to appeal to visitors as having some kind of royal connection. However, to anyone who knows, every seaside resort in the UK has a cheap bed and breakfast called "The Balmoral". It is a shame that the distinctive North British name was junked in favor of a junk name like The Balmoral. Other Forte hotels such as the Amigo in Brussels and the Astoria in St Petersburg have continued to operate with their classic names - but sadly, not here. North British RIP.
Very interesting.. didn't know that about The Balmoral name. I cut this out of the script because Google removed the incorrect listing and it wasn't really relevant anymore: "The hotel is called 'The Balmoral'. When we arrived at Edinburgh airport, the dispatcher at the taxi stand asked where we were going. I said 'The Balmoral Hotel'. She entered that into a kiosk, which passed the address on to the taxi driver automatically. All fair enough. However, Google had an extra listing for 'Balmoral Hotel' which was on Greenside Row. The taxi dropped us off on Leith Street which seemed close enough, and we presumed was behind the hotel. Long story short, we ended up schlepping our bags about half a kilometer to the real hotel. I reported the business listing to Google as being erroneous and now it seems to have disappeared from Maps, but it might still be sitting in another nav database that uses Google’s data. So if you're traveling by taxi or a ride share app, double check that you’re heading to 'The Balmoral' on Princes Street, and not a back alley behind the Edinburgh Playhouse." Maybe there was another "Balmoral Hotel" that existed there, or perhaps it was just a Maps error? It had one 5-star review at the time.
North Britain was a term widely used until the late 19th century to refer either to Scotland or the very north of England and Scotland. It came about at the peak of support for the Union. As a child in Scotland I had a very ancient and very posh piano teacher who once sent me a postcard from Italy with my address concluding N.B. and not Scotland or U.K! The North British Railway Hotel was the grand hotel of the NBR, North British Railway Company, who owned Waverley Station and operated the trains. All railway companies operated grand hotels at their central stations and most of them survive. I agree with you about the bane change. My family lived in Edinburgh for generations, sadly no longer. As children we all knew the click of the North British Hotel ran 5 minutes fast so passengers would be prompt and not miss their trains.
