I booked this hotel for 3 nights without reading the reviews, since it looked nice enough in the pictures and was very cheap compared to others in the area. I then read the reviews and they actually stressed me out so much that I tried to cancel my booking. turns out britannia hotels don’t refund cancellations, so I gingerly prepared to bring my boyfriend to the ‘worst hotel in edinburgh’. and guess what, it was fine!
upon rereading the 1-star reviews, it is apparent that some people are unfamiliar with the concept of a budget hotel in general. no, they will not carry your bags to the room for you or provide room service, because this is not gleneagles. there are scuff marks on the walls and the lift has seen better days - both of which are different to actual dirt, and won’t harm you. if you’d feel personally offended that the staff didn’t paint over a scratch on the skirting board especially for you, maybe book a different hotel.
we have stayed in the much higher rated easyhotel (another budget hotel with a windowless option) and agreed that the britannia was much nicer. the bathroom was very clean and spacious, with a hot shower and toiletries. the bed was firm but not uncomfortable. location was great, next to a pretty river and about a 20 minute walk to the city (passing cafes and nice views). can’t speak for the food as we ate elsewhere, but there is a bar open until 1am. honestly if you just need somewhere to sleep after being out all day, can’t really fault this