Doubletree by Hilton Glasgow Central

Index to Genius1 Trip Reports

Last April I stayed at the Doubletree by Hilton Glasgow Central for one night. The property's location on Cambridge Street to the North of the city centre is slightly removed from the main action (Glasgow Central Station is a 12-minute walk, for example), but this is not necessarily a bad thing. The hotel building itself is an uninspiring 1980s edifice, but inside is fairly fresh following a 2016 refurbishment that saw the Doubletree branding introduced to what was previously the Thistle-branded Glasgow Central Hotel.

Reception tended to get fairly busy during our stay, with plenty of luggage being visibly stored adjacent to the reception desk and a general mass of people milling around to varying degrees depending on the time of day. That being said, the reception team were always approachable and promptly checked us in, with our room being upgraded from a standard room to an Executive room on the 8th (and top) floor. There is an Executive lounge on the ground floor, although this was closed during our visit. Reception offered us paper bags with bottled Harrogate water (an HHonors benefit at Silver status and above where water is not offered in all rooms as standard) and the signature Doubletree warm cookies.





Our room was modest in size and of a completely standard layout, although I appreciated the dual armchairs which are so often reduced to one in hotel rooms. The Glaswegian artwork was a nice touch. Power and USB sockets were in all the right places. The Twinings Everyday tea bags looked a little lonely on the tea and coffee making tray - I'd have liked a greater variety. There was no coffee machine (which would've been a nice addition for an Executive room), and the minibar was, as expected, empty. Robes and slippers seemed to be the only Executive-level inclusion, as well as a view over the top of the adjacent multi-storey car park rather than into one of the floors of it.

















The bathroom was nothing remarkable but offered a spacious walk-in shower in lieu of a bath (always my preference). Crabtree and Evelyn amenities in large bottles were provided. There were no face cloths or soap bars, but I don't expect these in a Doubletree.







Overall, the room was a pleasant place to relax, so much so that I ordered room service via QR code – delivery was prompt, and the food was of decent quality.



My only real complaint came at night; the extremely bright green emergency light indicator adjacent to one of the spotlights in the hall illuminated half the room.

In addition to guest rooms, there are four meeting rooms on the 8th floor with shared toilets at either end of the corridor (the doors to which didn’t seem to close automatically which wasn’t very pleasant), plus additional meeting spaces on the first and ground floors. There's a fitness centre on the first floor, and a 14-metre indoor swimming pool on the ground floor, with slots that have to be pre-booked. The swimming pool area includes a jacuzzi and steam room, but this area is on the small side and got busy quickly despite the slot booking system.

The Cask & Clyde restaurant and Cask Bar are accessible just off the lobby on the ground floor. Breakfast in the restaurant was a fairly generous buffet with all food and drinks self-service; good quality options prevailed (haggis included), with the only disappointment being that the tables were set together quite closely.

In summary, Doubletree by Hilton Glasgow Central is a decent property doing all the basics well. Just bring a good eye mask.