Very nice suite upgrade

I booked premier king room with castle view, four days before the check-in the app was showing junior suite and two days before one bedroom suite. Very nice upgrade!

Check in was quick and efficient, very friendly staff, bell captain asking whether any help with luggage was needed etc. The lobby itself is small, but the room behind it opens to a magnificent staircase (and you enter Peacock Alley and Grazing through this room).

I was upgraded to St. John Suite, which is on the mezzazine level with very nice views of the Edinburgh Castle. The living room was very large, and it seems that there had been some refurbish done fairly recently. Some of the reviews show smaller rooms which seem to be straight from the 90s; not so for this suite. The living room had a big sofa, table and working area.

Bedroom was equally large with a king-size bed and two BIG chairs. Bedroom had also its own door, apparently the rooms had been separate at some point. The hallway to this door had two large closets for clothes. The AC in the bedroom had this constant hum going on that didn't bother me, but some people might find it irritating.

The very large bathroom was accessible from the bedroom. It had both shower and a bath tub, which I didn't try. Nice Aesop toiletries.

Service in the hotel was effortlessly friendly. Everyone seemed to take their duties seriously and were constantly looking for ways to get the customer what he/she needed. This applied to the lobby staff, servers at breakfast etc. Most of the staff was quite young.

Breakfast at the Grazing Restaurant was really good. There is buffet which is perhaps less diverse than some other high-end hotels, but everything was of high quality. (Yes, including haggis.) On top of that, you can order anything from the menu. eggs benedict etc. Really good orange juice, I must say.

The room had a box of Scottish chocolate as a gift.

The hotel is really centrally located, easy walking distance from the Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town. Also shopping on Princes Street is close if that's your thing. Waverley Train Station (i.e. Edinburgh's main station) is pretty close, and Haymarket Station is even closer. There is a tram stop nearby with direct access to the airport, very convenient.

I tried the pool once. I guess it was about 13 or 14 meters long, i.e. one could do laps, barely. There is also a small wading pool attached to the actual swimming pool plus a jacuzzi. I did not try the gym.

I don't know if all Diamonds are given suite upgrades; the hotel did feel pretty empty so maybe I was just lucky. But if the price is right, I would book here again.