Ednam House Hotel

Stayed while visiting Kelso for the Border Union Show. Wished I had read the most recent reviews before going so we were prepared to star in a new episode of Fawlty Towers. The manager on duty, Michelle, made Basil seem competent. How on earth she has gotten to that position is beyond comprehension, surely there isn’t a lack of decent people in the area who could do the job better. Unfortunately she is out of her depth and it showed on what was clearly a very busy time. If you want a drink be prepared to stand for ages waiting for someone to come and serve you and don’t expect service with a smile when they do arrive. Breakfast was ok but again real lack of customer service from staff, not entirely sure what the issue is but never seen so many miserable people working in one place. Room was fine nothing special. The whole hotel needs serious money spent on it. We went to a few other local bars and like other reviews the locals have very few good things to say about the place, that is often a very telling sign in a small town, where locals normally want to support local businesses. Lots of rumours abound about back stabbing from two of the managers. Saving grace is the cocktail bar just outside the main gates, the manager there was excellent, customer service was amazing. Maybe that manager needs to be put in charge of training poor Michelle how to be a competent manager and the other staff on how to deliver outstanding service. Would not return to Ednam House, there seems to be no shortage of much better places to stay in the town. In fact a tent in a field would be far superior.

This is the worst hotel at this price that we have been to recently. There was an air of faded grandeur and lack of investment. It seems stuck in the 1980's. The potential is there but it is not realised. The rooms were shabby, the shower pathetic, the bed claimed to be king sized, but it was not and the lights that lit up the hotel made it difficult to sleep because the curtains were thin. The waiting staff were friendly and the food at dinner was OK, if somewhat traditional but breakfast was like a really bad London hotel. The tables were plastic which dd not help the ambiance although the view from the restaurant was great. Generally very poor value for money