The DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Centre is a stunning slice of luxury that combines the historic and the fresh, with bedrooms offering stunning views of Edinburgh Castle, all within a Grade A listed building, minutes’ walk from the city's attraction. All we have to say is wow!
In the crux of the city, This DoubleTree by Hilton hotel has three really fantastic conventional meeting spaces, to go with their standout option, The Penthouse. This is a real show stopping space, with panoramic views of the city. Check the Meeting Space Highlights for more! But for now, no spoilers! We want to show you everything this fantastically fresh venue has to offer.
The design stylings inside this building feel so sleek and professional. Every room, whether that’s a meeting space, the catering areas or the bedrooms, feels like the kind of place to set the background for an incredibly productive day. There’s plenty of outstanding parts to this hotel, whether it be beautiful views of Edinburgh castle from The Sky Bar’s floor to ceiling windows, or the peaceful, bright Monboddo Bar, there’s no gimmicks to be found at this Hilton hotel - every room and choice feels intentional.
That intentionality carries over to the venue’s attitude towards sustainability too, with the hotel employing a dedicated “Green Team” who’ve set and achieved some incredible goals in their mission towards facilitating a more sustainable venue. The DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Centre has gained Green Tourism Accreditation, removed all single use plastic from the hotel and made a 25% reduction in landfill waste. As well as these fantastic feats, and a few more -- the sustainability initiative that stuck with us the most was the venue’s “Meet with Purpose” Daily Delegate Rate. On this rate, events won’t have pads or pens (unless requested) – whiteboards instead of flipcharts and many more thoughtful switches which often see next to no effect to having a game-changer of an event.
Address: 34 Bread Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9AG
Website: https://doubletreeedinburgh.co...
Conference Sales Contact: Jessica Carr
Tel: 0131 221 5555
Email: events@doubletreeedinburghcity.co.uk
Distance from nearest airport: 7.7 miles; 25 mins driving, 40 mins by public transport
Distance from nearest railway station: 1.4 miles, 20 minutes walking, 11 mins by taxi
Parking: no on-site parking, discount provided at Castle Terrace NCP – 5 mins walk away
Wi-fi: complimentary throughout the hotel
As you walk into the hotel, it’s like the noise and the chaos of the outside world, and the bustling core of Scotland itself melts away into the background. This clean, modern space still manages to maintain a homely and cohesive feel to it. The lobby is bright and airy, and we found the staff to be exceedingly kind and helpful during our visit. The layout of the hotel is also easy to get to grips with, and even more impressive considering the hotel actually comprises three separate buildings from 1892 (an era not exactly recognised for its accessibility).
All of this - without a doubt - is made more impressive (again!) by how much accessible integration this venue has included. There are four accessible bedrooms, with doors comfortably wide enough for wheelchair or power chair access, and wet room style bathrooms. There were also sloped surfaces in the lobby and multiple lifts, including emergency evacuation lifts specifically for wheelchair users. We felt as with everything at the hotel, there was some serious thoughtfulness and care taken to make this the best venue possible, not just for an events host or a hotel guest, but for every single potential delegate!
From the lobby, you can visit either the Monboddo bar or Monboddo restaurant (see Facilities section for more). Failing these, you can choose to go straight to your room, which we were truly stunned by. Inside the huge bedroom we had a beautiful, and big bathroom with a separate shower and bath - we loved the touch of a bath here, once again just felt like a sense of escape and serenity.
Our room had two TV’s which we didn’t even end up using, we were too busy focussing on the breathtaking view out of our window - the vista over the old town rooftops and Edinburgh castle, looming, almost shadowing the hotel, felt ripped out of a fantasy film! This is a truly unforgettable setting and we kept thinking how much of a lasting impression a venue with views from bedrooms and meeting rooms alike - like the hotel does, would leave a long-lasting impression on any potential event-goer.
The Monboddo bar is an eye-catcher before you even come inside the hotel, located on the ground floor with its own street level signage, this is an impressive daytime eatery and evening drinks spot in its own right. The stylings combine a boutique feel with the same fresh, modern feel of the rest of the hotel. The space feels luxurious without feeling too stuffy and is helped all-the-more by floor to ceiling windows adorning the street-side of this space.
The Monboddo restaurant sits on the other side of the lobby and sports an exciting new, sustainably sourced menu. This is also your breakfast spot during your or your delegates stay. While the restaurant isn’t available for private booking, some of the fantastic meeting room spaces like The Rowan, or The Orchardfield could be used as more than handy dining spaces.
The venue also has a small but well-stocked gym to help work-out of those event-day nerves. While due to its stellar location, the venue doesn’t offer large outdoor spaces for team building, we spoke to the staff who said they were more than happy to be able to assist with indoor team-building using any of their fantastic, spacious meeting spaces. The hotel is also dog friendly! So service or non-service, all pups are welcome!
Back up on the fourth floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Centre, on the weekends, the stunning top floor space becomes The Sky Bar. With views full of sky and history, this is a stunning area to wind down with some wine and take in this incredible city from the top! As if things couldn’t get any better, in the warmer months, we’ve heard there might even be a Barbeque on the go…
The hotel boasts three meeting rooms as well as a stunning penthouse with a rooftop terrace, with stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and the city skyline, right down to the coast. The meetings spaces boast capacities of 5-200 for a reception so something to suit everyone. Here’s our three favourite meeting rooms to give you a flavour.
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Meeting Space Highlight: The Penthouse
We mean… just wow. The Penthouse is absolutely GLORIOUS – floor to ceiling windows the full length of the room. Perfect for dinner, drinks reception, a small conference… you name it. The crowning jewel of this space is its outdoor terrace which offers views that may just be the best views in the city. This fourth floor stunner of a meeting space is not to be missed, the area doesn’t just rest on the Laurels of being beautiful either, with functionality to spare. The Penthouse isn’t to be missed for your next event.
Location: 4th Floor – accessible from the conference centre entrance
Best use for room (conference, dinner, reception. Etc): Dinner, drinks reception, small meeting, showcase event.
Natural light: Yes – glorious views
Size: 148 Sq.M
Reception: 180
Theatre: 120
Dinner: 110
Conference: 30
Classroom 50
AV Equipment included: Yes, screen & projector, PA with handheld and lapel mic included
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Meeting Space Highlight: The Orchardfield
The Orchardfield is the biggest space that the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Centre has to offer. This is a really smart room for dinners, conferences and so much more – There’s a foyer outside which could be integrated in a number of ways, like as a reception, or an area for coffee breaks, to step out of the action of the event! There’s easy access from the conference centre and the room’s stylings are really smart, with well-lit tables providing the perfect atmosphere to get down to business!
Location: Ground floor
Natural light: No
Size: 154 Sq.M
Reception: 200
Theatre: 200
Dinner: 150
Conference: 30
Classroom: 80
AV Equipment included: Yes, a large screen & projector, PA with hand-held and lapel microphones included.
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Meeting Space Highlight: The Rowan
Our last meeting space highlight is the impressive Rowan room. Right next to the entrance, this is a lovely, smaller room that looks tailor made for a boardroom style setup, or a private dining experience. With plenty of natural light and the same elegant simplicity that the rest of the hotel has shown off, this is a really versatile space that’s just as welcoming as the extremely friendly staff here at DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Centre!
Location: Ground floor
Natural light: Yes
Size: 50 Sq.M
Reception: 30
Theatre: 40
Cabaret: 20
Classroom: 40
AV Equipment included: Yes, screen, projector, PA with handheld and lapel mic included.
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Summary
All-in, we were stunned by this venue, it felt like such a complete experience which was set up to facilitate any kind of event. With personality and punch the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh Centre has so much to offer, whether that be functionality to spare in its meeting spaces, that provide solace from the busy capital city, or whether that be in the vistas from the bedrooms and meeting spaces alike which will stay with guests for a lifetime! We loved it here, and it’s not hard to tell why, a really great venue built by a great team, passionate about events, in the beating heart of Scotland - what more can you ask for!