Expert reviews
“W Edinburgh has enjoyed rather a lot of publicity before it even opened. In the flesh it is sleek and international, although its location — sandwiched into a gap within the £1 billion St James Quarter shopping centre and just moments from Waverley railway station — is quintessential Georgian Edinburgh.”
“The five-star W Edinburgh opened in late 2023 in the middle of the new St. James Quarter; its central Ribbon Building — architecturally inspired by the printing history of the area — has added a distinctive spire to the Edinburgh skyline. Among its highlights are a rooftop deck offering 360-degree views of the city.”
“It’s curvy, it’s controversial, it’s a confusion of cultures – from Gaelic-themed cocktails to Japanese and South American cuisine. W Edinburgh is design-driven with arty ambitions, offering slick, stylish rooms, good food and drink and a great city centre location. But forget all that because really, it’s all about the staggering views.”
“Standing out from the crowd can be a challenge in a historic city, but W Edinburgh is up to the challenge. Occupying a striking egg-shaped structure that appears to be enveloped in a bronze ribbon, W Edinburgh certainly makes a statement. While the unique exterior has been the cause for much of the attention, the November 2023-debuted luxury hotel’s wraparound terraces with their spectacular skyline views are proving to be quite the crowd-pleasers as well.”
What guests liked
- Top location
- Friendly staff
- Comfortable beds
- Delicious breakfast
- Spa
All you need to know
W Edinburgh is a seriously cool 5-star hotel right in the heart of Edinburgh’s St James Quarter. It’s a perfect base if you want to soak up both the city’s historic charm and its festival energy.
The design itself is pretty striking: the “Ribbon Building” wraps around in bronze-coloured metal ribbons, which gives the place a very modern, celebratory vibe.
But what really makes it fun are the amenities and hangout spots. There’s a rooftop bar called the W Deck, offering 360° views over Edinburgh.
You have SUSHISAMBA, which mixes Japanese, Peruvian, and Brazilian cuisine, plus a speakeasy-style cocktail bar, Joao’s Place.
And if you want to chill, the AWAY Spa has themed rooms (fire, earth, water, air), perfect for treating yourself.
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Location
Recent guest reviews
26 January 2026
Fantastic, definitely be back !
Friendly staff especially Isobel at reception who couldn’t have done more for us.
Location, style , beds very comfortable
20 January 2026
10/10
It was stunning
Where it was located
20 January 2026
Exceptional
The hotel was lovely and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly! We really enjoyed our stay. I would recommend booking the hotel bar on a weekend! It was fully booked when we were there, we were lucky and got a seat at the bar and had a fantastic cocktail! The view is incredible!
20 January 2026
An amazing City Hotel with a fabulous 360 cocktail bar!!
The location and staff are fabulous!
Nothing
20 January 2026
Exceptional
They gave myself and my partner a surprise for our anniversary, which was absolutely amazing and made our stay that bit more special.
19 January 2026
A short escape.
The staff were amazing! So attentive to detail and smiles all around. The vibe of the hotel and restaurants were amazing and just what myself and my partner were looking for to escape our crazy lifestyle for a couple of days to celebrate a birthday.
Nothing, staff, hotel, food, rooms, views were excellent.
18 January 2026
Great hotel, the staff were amazing, helpful and very friendly. Room was lovely and would definitely return!!
The location was great! So easy to get to and from everywhere we were going and all within walking distance. Restaurant and bar were also great.
18 January 2026
Impeccable service. Great location. Loved the hotel
The service, hotel and location was amazing. Attention to detail was spectacular and the staff couldn’t have done more. Huge shoutout to I think his name was Ben on the front door he was so lovely, couldn’t have done more for us.
The turn down service was a bit loud down the corridor as we went to bed earlier than others but wasn’t for long
17 January 2026
Comfortable, clean , great place to stay
So new best bit was the films on the tv lol
Pricey
17 January 2026
So peaceful & quiet even though you are staying in city centre
Central location. Breakfast amazing. Views from hotel bar/restaurant absolutely incredible
12 January 2026
I’ll repeat the stay at the same hotel in future and other W hotels would wide.
Everything was perfect in the hotel, atmosphere, friendly staff, excellent room service and upgraded my room as well. They provided me a 2hrs late checkout without any additional fee.
NIL
12 January 2026
The best time
The amazing staff
No faults
10 January 2026
Exceptional 5-Star Experience – Truly Outstanding
Our stay at W Edinburgh was truly exceeded all expectations. From the very first moment, the staff made the difference. The reception experience was outstanding — Maricca welcomed us with genuine warmth, professionalism, and care, making us feel immediately valued and at home. Her approach perfectly reflects what true 5-star hospitality should be. The room cleanliness was flawless throughout our stay. Housekeeping was extremely professional, efficient, and thoughtful, keeping the room perfectly clean, well-organized, and comfortable every day. Their work was discreet, useful, and of a very high standard. Breakfast was another major highlight. The à la carte breakfast was excellent, high quality, fresh, and beautifully presented. Special thanks to Zee for her kindness, positive attitude, and consistently professional service, which made every morning a pleasure. A very special thank you goes to Kijean, the Guest Relations Manager. His professionalism, attention to detail, and personal care made our stay feel truly special. We were pleasantly surprised with complimentary treats almost every day, which added a generous and thoughtful personal touch. The location is perfect — close to major monuments, transportation, restaurants, and shops, all within easy walking distance. Our room was spacious, very quiet, beautifully designed, and uniquely decorated, with a fantastic balcony. The high-end amenities were impressive, including a smart touch control panel that allowed us to control lighting, temperature, and even the curtains, adding a true modern luxury feel. This hotel doesn’t just claim to be 5-star — it genuinely delivers. In fact, it feels like five stars and even more. Staying here felt like a dream, and we will definitely return again. Highly recommended.
Nothing.
9 January 2026
When i think to visit Edinburgh again , i will stay in W HOTEL
Excellent , clean , comfortable, staff very helpful.
Noting
9 January 2026
Our Edinburgh Best Stay
The hotel upgraded my room for free where it was our last hotel before our journey back to home, we loved the hotel and the facilities in the hotel along with the location which is next to the mall. The views from the breakfast floor is panoramic and astonishing where you can see most of Edinburgh historic locations and places of interest. All the staff are very friendly and welling to help at any time , thanks for Kurt who checked us in for his information and his advices. Though the breakfast is an à la carte breakfast, it was very delicious and very tasty.
8 January 2026
Perfect
Ambience design customer service and place of the hotel were amazing!!
6 January 2026
We have had an amazing time at The W in Edinburgh- can’t rate it highly enough.
The staff couldn’t have made our stay any more perfect. Thank you all.
We had booked a twin room, we were upgraded to a suite which was kind but we had to share a bed (or one of us use a cot bed).
6 January 2026
Fabulous
The staff friendly and welcoming. Greatly appreciated the complimentary drinks for my friends birthday. The room was acceptable. However the lighting was very poor. Also nowhere for sitting down to blow dry hair and applying makeup. The mirror was on the wall at the side of bed. No lighting near it. Bed comfortable and room clean. The interior design not suitable for two females. Albeit pleasing to the eye. Shower room very small. At breakfast one member of staff served us and his uniform was covered in stains and dirty looking. The server area was dirty. As we were sitting next to it the dirt was very visible under the order machine the shelving very dusty. The view however was amazing from the breakfast room. Overall the lifts and public areas were acceptable to the eye. Location was ideal and would return again. We did enjoy our stay.
See above.
2 January 2026
Was beautiful place
Nice
Nice
2 January 2026
Loved the location and the hotel was exceptional
Great location and a beautiful room
Everything was great
1 January 2026
pleasant, i would stay again
location and cleanliness, helpful staff, breakfast staff were lovely
1) there is no dressing table in room to blow dry /style hair , the only plug near mirror , the lighting is incredibly dark and you have to squeeze between bed and wall standing 2) the twin bed room the TV is completely blocked from 1 bed by tall bar area with fixed lamps and sofa is under TV so cannot use this either 3) there was no sanitary bags at all for disposal of sanitary wear , i agree with environment protection but to place soiled sanitary wear in bin with no liner is not pleasant and embarrassing , use paper bags . I found this dreadful 4) the magnifying mirror in bathroom is fixed to wall mirror and too high to see/use
1 January 2026
Good stay with intentions to come again.
Received plenty of good service. Staff were very nice. Location of the hotel itself was preferrable as there is not too much foot traffic in its immediate vicinity, so it was quite calm. We received a free room upgrade upon arrival, which was unexpected and greatly appreciated.
Could hear our room neighbours arguing, but that was fun in its own right.
28 December 2025
Central, convenient, immaculate room. Staff professional, knowledgeable, efficient and friendly.
I didn’t have breakfast.
Small issue, ordering tea for the room late evening, on returning from an event elsewhere, we waited at least 20 minutes for it to arrive. I appreciate it is a a big hotel and possibly busy but at almost midnight that seemed rather a long wait.
28 December 2025
It was a wonderful experience for me and my partner. We were upgraded due to it being our anniversary, and that was love
It was well presented, and comfortable.
28 December 2025
Very good
Lovely decor. Good view out the rooms window. Great restaurants in hotel.
The room was a bit small and cramped. At times room got too hot and AC Wouldnt cool.
24 December 2025
Anniversary stay.
Brilliant location, beautiful hotel. Without exception the staff were all great, helpful and friendly. We were a little early for check in, but the reception staff very happily took our bags and phoned us when the room was ready. We received a complimentary glass of Prosecco as it was our anniversary. The room was lovely, the bed was huge and comfortable the shower was really good and well powered. We enjoyed the layout of the room. The towels were excellent quality and very fluffy. The room as extremely quiet for a city hotel, with no road noise. Great check out time of 12. The rooftop bar was fantastic, the views of the city were stunning. The staff in the bar were also excellent and super friendly. We did not eat in the restaurant so couldn’t comment, but what we saw looked very good. We would definitely recommend and look forward to our next stay.
Nothing it was all good.
23 December 2025
Fabulous
Excellent Hotel. Great facilities, rooms, bar and breakfast. Staff extremely helpful.
22 December 2025
Myself and my partner really enjoyed our stay. The staff were friendly, helpful and welcoming. Location was excellent, a
Excellent central location, spacious room and friendly helpful staff.
You can hear street noise at times, could do with an additional barrier to noise at the windows, but this didn’t detract much from having an enjoyable stay. The shower and toilet are next to each other in separate frosted glass enclosures, doesn’t offer a lot of privacy from the rest of the room, would be better with a more private bathroom solution.
21 December 2025
Pleasant/ comfortable and luxurious stay😁 would recommend
Friendly staff Luxury experience Everything 😁
No ice cold water available in the suite No Netflix/ smart tv
19 December 2025
Exceptional!
Gorgeous room, gorgeous hotel, incredible stay. The staff are all so polite and friendly. It was my birthday yesterday and they really went above and beyond to make it memorable. Will definitely be back. Cannot recommend this hotel enough!
Nothing!
19 December 2025
Great stay
N/a
N/a
18 December 2025
Delightful one nights stay
Amazing views
17 December 2025
Amazing place for our engagement day!
Amazing stay. Celebrating a birthday and our engagement
16 December 2025
great location to explore the city
lovely room in a great central location
15 December 2025
Perfect !!
The staff were excellent, always a smile and can we help you. Just perfect. I would recommend this hotel. Great location for all shops and restaurants. I would come back again, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to have a break in Scotland's Capital City.
I thought it was a tad expensive. Other than that I could not fault this excellent hotel and it's staff, who showed a willingness to please. Overall a very pleasant experience.
15 December 2025
A delightful stay in a luxury resort
Impressive building. Comfortable room. Good gym facilities. Offered a refreshment at the time of check in.
Check in was delayed due to not being able to allocate me a room. Wasn't given instructions on how to find my room or how to operate the lifts. The room had a "seaside" odour which was slightly overpowering when you first enter the room
14 December 2025
Excellent hotel loved everything about it staff were exemplary and a credit to the hotel we will be
The breakfast choice was incredible had something to suit everyone.
Couldn't fault it
12 December 2025
Would definitely book W Edinburgh whenever im in Edinburgh
Neat, location is perfect!
11 December 2025
Very good
Rooms were beautiful and very well insulated. Staff couldn’t do enough. Check in was busy and they served prosecco/drinks while we waited - nice touch.
Weird not having toilet facilities on the ground floor.
10 December 2025
Very good
The location
It takes very long time to checkin The room was not as clean as it was before And the did not put their signature perfume even after i asked for
9 December 2025
Fabulous
Situation good. Staff friendly and informative
N/A
8 December 2025
Lovely weekend stay
Beautiful hotel
8 December 2025
Exceptional
Location
7 December 2025
Fantastic location but very small rooms.
Location is fantastic.
The rooms were very small for the price paid. There were also too many mirrors in the room to distract from the room size.
4 December 2025
Ideal spot for a little Christmas shopping break.
Location is perfect
Nothing
3 December 2025
Exceptional
Friendly professional service at reception and restruants.
Nothing.
3 December 2025
All about the location
Location wonderful, especially the convenience of the car park. Breakfast v good
Rooms small.
2 December 2025
Amazing
Everything
Nothing
30 November 2025
Great location for all things Edinburgh
Location
Check in always a bit slow and disorganised
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Facilities for disabled guests
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Heating
- - Air conditioning
Business facilities
- - Meeting/banquet facilities (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Concierge service
- - Private check-in/check-out
- - Invoice provided
Outdoors
- - Terrace
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor furniture
- - Outdoor fireplace
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Activities
- - Spa and wellness centre (additional charge)
Parking
- - Parking garage
Accessibility
- - Wheelchair accessible
- - Toilet with grab rails
- - Raised toilet
- - Lower bathroom sink
- - Emergency cord in bathroom
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Security alarm
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Delivered food is securely covered

More photos

26 January 2026
Great experience