About

4.5

#165 of 777 hotels in Edinburgh

Location

Cleanliness

Service

Value

At STAY central we aim a little bit higher than just providing you with a good night's sleep. We have 37 fresh and refurbished bedrooms perfect for 2 to share or bedrooms for up to 6 guests. We like to look after you and free Wi-Fi is a must for our guests. Each of our lovely bedrooms have large flat screen TV's, iPod docks, rain fall style showers to get lathered up in and lots of little extras you won't expect. Located in the heart of Edinburgh's eclectic Cowgate surrounding the famous lively Three Sisters bar, STAY Central is a short stroll from everywhere.

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Property amenities

Parking

Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)

Bar / lounge

Nightclub / DJ

Taxi service

Baggage storage

Non-smoking hotel

24-hour front desk

Wifi

Coffee shop

Breakfast available

Breakfast buffet

Complimentary Instant Coffee

Room features

Air conditioning

Desk

Room service

Safe

Wake-up service / alarm clock

Flatscreen TV

Bath / shower

Complimentary toiletries

Hair dryer

Room types

Non-smoking rooms

Good to know

HOTEL CLASS

HOTEL STYLE

Trendy

Centrally Located

Languages Spoken

English

Location

100Great for walkers

Grade: 100 out of 100

338Restaurantswithin 0.3 miles

224Attractionswithin 0.3 miles

139 Cowgate near St. Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh EH1 1JS Scotland

Getting there

Turnhouse Airport7 miSee all flights

Dundee Airport36 miSee all flights

Car HireSee car hire from £36/day

See all nearby hotels

Nearby restaurants

Makars Gourmet Mash Bar

Tupiniquim Brasil crepes

293 reviews

5 minBrazilian

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Nearby attractions

National Museum of Scotland

22,292 reviews

2 minNatural History Museums

Edinburgh Old Town

16,315 reviews

1 minHistoric Walking Areas

The Real Mary King's Close

20,402 reviews

3 minHistoric Sites

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

16,105 reviews

5 minScience Museums

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2111Reviews18Q+A100Room tips

Reviews
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Barry R wrote a review Nov 2023

4 contributions2 helpful votes

Worth it

With just the right amount of quirkiness without going overboard, Stay Central felt welcoming, clean and relaxing. Within two minutes walk of Grassmarket; lots of restaurants, bars, and nightlife, the hotel rooms are tucked at the back of the building, providing insulation from the busy streets. The bed, pillows and seating were comfy. The room was well equipped with a good selection of teas and coffees, as well as a small SMEG fridge. The Bluetooth room speakers are also a treat for playing music from your devices. Fair price for one night with good facilities in this lovely part of Edinburgh and a healthy vegan breakfast too. It was a good experience.

Date of stay: November 2023

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Goldendee wrote a review Oct 2023

10 contributions5 helpful votes

Not worth the price

Only 1 person in the front desk. They don't clean your room unless you tell the front desk to clean. Sink was too small Elevator was slow No aircon but provided 2 fan. What I don't like is the room cleaning 1st day we told front desk we wanted to have our room cleaned they only cleaned the room but did not fix the bed. 2nd day no room cleaning. Price was not worth it with the stay.

Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple

Room Tip: You can choose other hotels with the same price.

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christine m wrote a review Oct 2023

1 contribution

No customer service

Fair stay. Rooms small but clean. Can get noisy. Very good location. Service instead, below average. They charged us twice for our stay but won‘t admit it. worse, they do not respond to e-mail. Never experienced this with a serious business. Be careful!!

Date of stay: August 2023

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

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Lewis P wrote a review Sept 2023

1 contribution

You can get better hotels in Edinburgh!

Rooms and reception area are well decorated although the location of the hotel is on a backstreet. When we stayed over the fire alarm was set off a total of 3 times , obviously worried we made our way to reception to ask if there was a fire, the staff member that was working that night advised us there was a fault in the system and they fixed it with no real fire. Mouldy shower mats. There was no bar only a container of water supplied with plastic cups for the rooms and a hot drink machine. We appreciate things like this do happen however no apologies, no partial refund or friendly customer service when this happened. So that put us off the stay although great for a last minute getaway.

Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Michael R wrote a review Aug 2023

County Durham, United Kingdom21 contributions1 helpful vote

Edinburgh's premier party hotel

Our room was nice, comfortable and clean, which is exactly what we were looking for from a reasonably priced stay over close to The Royal Edinburgh Tattoo. In this regard the hotel served its purpose very well. What we did not know however, and think it is vital to know before booking is that this is very much a party hotel. We did not notice this so think that others could easily miss this as well. The hotel is adjoined to the Three Sisters bar which is lively, loud and has a licence until 5AM. Our biggest surprise upon leaving the Tattoo and walking down Cowgate was that the hotel's outer walls were being used as a large projection screen for the Three Sister's outdoor festival (see pic). The provided earplugs were appreciated to get a good night's sleep. This is not however a negative review. The hotel is a party hotel and if that is what you are after they provide in abundance. The rooms are reasonably priced, well featured and stylish. The close proximity to the Three Sisters would be great for any stag/hen do, or night on the town. Just do not book this as a Tattoo stop over for a great night's sleep. You will be disappointed if you do. One strange detail is the labyrinthine stairs and corridor arrangement. We stayed on the fourth floor and so had two separate staircases to traverse, unconnected and down the corridor from each other. Our keycard also did not work for either staircase which was odd, this was however remedied quickly by the lovely staff at reception. …

Date of stay: August 2023

Value

Location

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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George W wrote a review Aug 2023

1 contribution1 helpful vote

Unless You’re Below 25 or Incredibly Immature, Stay Away.

Trash. It is, indeed, a party hotel—one trying way too hard to appeal to *young* travelers. Worse, some of the “children” (are they really 18?) behind the bar don’t know basic drinks, then give attitude when you try to get them to understand. They seem impervious to basic statements like, “No, it’s not a kind of liquor; it’s a cocktail.” 🙄 Loud music playing from the outside bar until past midnight. —Lastly (though more could be said) the shower has large bottles for the shampoo and shower gel, ones that previous guests have also used. Nasty, nasty, nasty. Young men (especially) do nauseatingly gross things as “jokes” on others. No way.

Date of stay: August 2023

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Travelled as a couple

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GarethKZN wrote a review Jul 2023

Cape Town Central, South Africa180 contributions73 helpful votes

Well located hotel just off Royal Mile

This is a very well located hotel - only a 3min walk from the Royal Mile. Staff are friendly. There is a lively entertainment venue attached to the hotel with pleasant outside seating. The actual room was small, but the bathroom fair sized. Room was clean and well appointed with a very big flatscreen TV.

Date of stay: July 2023

Value

Location

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Trip type: Travelled as a couple

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Moa Ö wrote a review May 2023

1 contribution2 helpful votes

This is a party hotell, do not stay here if you do not look for party nights

The worst hotell ever to stay in if you travell to edinburgh for a cozy weekend. The hotell is a party hotell and you can not sleep during the nights because of the loud music and partying... The fire alarm also went on 3 times Every morning.. terrible visit

Date of stay: May 2023

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amandaknowl wrote a review Apr 2023

Nailsea, United Kingdom20 contributions8 helpful votes

Clean bed and the most amazing shower!!

Stayed here over Easter weekend, had trouble finding it even taxi driver had difficulty. But able to check in and room was basic but what you need very clean bedding and clean towels. The shower was amazing very powerful and hot and you there was free body wash. The hotel is right next door to a very lively pub and music goes on quite late , it didn't really affect us but if had kids with you or wanted peace this isn't the place for you. We couldn't leave on the set time and I asked the lady on reception if we could extend and she was fine and never charged us. All in all a clean nice place not far from main part of Edinburgh town and friendly staff.

Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled with friends

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Kathy C wrote a review Mar 2023

4 contributions1 helpful vote

Mixed Reviews - Best for famiies

Stylish, centrally located hotel with a great breakfast. Plenty of hot water, firm beds, and friendly staff. Best for families. Not so great for noise-sensitive travelers. Translucent bathroom door wasn't a big hit either.

Date of stay: March 2023

Value

Location

Service

Trip type: Travelled with friends

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