Marriott in Scotland
 

Does anyone have know of Marriott properties in Scotland that are non-traditional ? I have been told that they have some that are old castles and country estates. Any input on these and Marriotts in Scotland in general would be appreciated.

I have only stayed at two in Edinburgh and one in Glasgow. Of these the Dalmahoy is set around a manor house and 100 acres that includes a couple of gold courses. Dalmahoy is approximately 7-8 miles from teh centre of Edinburgh. about 30 minutes drive.

The other Edinburgh marriott and the Glasgow marriott are the normal modern style hotels.

It may be sacrilege to say this but....... When I was looking last year, I found that SAS Raddison had quite a few non-traditional buildings in the areas I was looking. And out in the countryside your best bet would be Bed and Breakfasts. I met some real nice people and you can find some great places.

I stayed at the Dalmahoy for a week in December a couple of years ago. It does have the feel of an old country estate - an older property, but well maintained. The staff was great, food was quite good - a couple of choices on the property.

It's a little out of the way, but there is a bus into town that stops about 5 minutes away, or of course you can drive.

All in all my stay was quite enjoyable and I'd recomend this location.

Bruce

Inverness Marriott
 

My husband and I stayed a couple nights at the Inverness Marriott last fall using a reward certificate. It was a very average Marriott. There was nothing special about it, but nothing objectionable either. I think the exterior pictures of the hotel on the Marriott website are a little bit deceiving, or maybe my interpretation of them was simply off, but the hotel was not the grand country manor I had expected. Nonetheless, we did receive an upgraded room and a platinum arrival gift, which was nice. The staff also accomodated my husband, a huge Red Sox fan, by keeping the sattelite television on until 6am in the hotel bar so he could watch the final game of the Sox/Yankees AL championship game last year. He had the entire night crew rooting for the Sox with him. :-)

As to the Inverness Marriott, average it is. I agree website photos make the property look more interesting than it is. Despite having mediocre breakfast buffet included in the rate, was later charged for it after checking out. Eventually the charge was waived after complaining to the Plat line.

All that being said, the front desk staff was courteous, and the property itself was okay. But average about covers it.

Does anyone have anything to add to this threas. I am still looking for advice on hotels in Scotland. Thanks.

There aren't too many Marriott properties in Scotland, but I have to say I like the Edinburgh Dalmahoy property. The attraction for me is that it combines a little of the old style with the usual modern amenities. But mainly, it has 2 championship golf courses 100 yards from the front desk which have recently gone through renovation.

It's in the country and about a 30 minute drive into the center of the city. Food is good, esp the breakfasts. Don't forget to try some haggis with your bacon and bangers!

I've stayed at Edinburgh Dalmahoy too, and thought it was great and had character. Good staff and great location to the west of Edinburgh town centre, easy to get into Edinburgh on public transport too.

The Bristol Marriott is non-traditional. It does not have airconditioning in the rooms! A couple of years ago we were at this property during a heat wave, and management offered to move us to a lower floor as it was a tad cooler--must have been 90 degrees in the rooms!

I've stayed at the Edinburgh Marriot, Dalmahoy and Inverness.

Dalmahoy is far and away the best property. Although the Edinburgh Marriott is closer to the city, the difference in distance doesn't make up for the poor service (the worst exec lounge breakfast, service etc of any Marriott IME).

Inverness is more of a traditional UK hotel and had patchy service, small rooms, no exec lounge and didn't offer breakfast coupons on my visit.

The Glasgow and Aberdeen Marriotts are modern style hotels (Glasgow close to downtown and Aberdeen close to the airport).

Since we received breakfast coupons, I'm guessing the failure to give you coupons (unless you were there on a weekend-when coupons don't necessarily apply) was a result of "patchy service". Interestingly, despite using the coupons, breakfast was added to our bill after we checked out. Took a couple of weeks, with the help of the platinum desk, to get credited.

The only other Marriott in Scotland is in Aberdeen--unfortunately for you, it's a modern hotel building...

How accessible is the Edinburgh city Marriott from the airport? Im looking for affordable transport options since Ill only be there overnight. From the web site, it says they provide an airport shuttle, but Im not sure if they charge for that.

Also, are they strict about providing lounge access only to Plats?

Stayed at the Edinburgh Marriott in April, 2007 and enjoyed it. There is complimentary shuttle service between the airport and hotel - about a 10-15 minute drive. The concierge room was enjoyable with the standard offerings available. I am not sure if it is limited to platinum members only. It was not "over-run" with a lot of people. There was a lovely Polish young lady working the room that we enjoyed chatting with.

Good luck and enjoy.