This was our 4th stay at the Stirling Highland over the last 9 years, and sadly it will be the last. Check In: Arrived early and waited in the lobby. Not sure if room was ready before 4:00, as no one let us know. Had to ask for a second key, when there were obviously two of us. Headed back to the desk for assistance with radiator; however, no one could explain how it worked. The Room: Nothing has been updated. Had to crawl behind a chair to plug in the phone, when they could have just replaced the wall lamps with ones with USB ports. Things also haven't been maintained (huge crack in bathroom floor tile, mold on ceiling molding, and missing and dirty caulk). The Restaurant/Bar: No food being served to hotel guests because of a private event Thursday evening with no notice at all. Had 2 bags of chips from the bar for dinner. Breakfast was passing at best (no scrambled eggs one morning and hard and gross the next). Filthy carpet, with stains and black stuff stuck to it. Lack of upkeep, and not too appetizing either. Finally: Our first night, we were treated to a small dog running down the hallway barking all the way, twice (about 2:00 a.m.). We were just a few rooms down the hall from Reception, so no idea why staff didn't address it. Then there was the dog in the hotel bar off leash that kept escaping out the door. If you're wondering if we have anything against dogs, we are the ones who kept an eye on her and put her back in the room and closed the door multiple times, so she wouldn't wander off. Dogs at hotel, fine; guidelines and staff follow through, needed. Would have loved to give this feedback to the hotel directly, but at the end of a 2-week trip, the Stirling Highland was the only business that didn't reach out for feedback. Is the Stirling Highland afraid of what people will say, or do they already know? read more

This has to be by far one of the most underwhelming stays I've ever experienced. We paid quite a decent price for this hotel and expected an actual 4 star hotel. Now I don't know what you need to get 4 stars in Scotland but I think the hotel would have a tough time even competing with 3 star hotels. The rooms are extremely outdated and definitely not what I would expect for that price. In the bathroom, the fake marble counter tops are not completely glued together anymore, so it feels like the bathroom is actually falling apart. It honestly feels like the newest thing in the bathroom is the shower curtain that appears to have been put there years ago. The bed also seems to have aged quite a bit - the mattress doesn't even lie flat on the bed anymore. That being said, the bed sheets fall off at every single movement as they're not fitted anymore... The hotel rooms had extremely thin walls and you were able to hear everything that was going on in the hallway and every single step people were taking. Additionally, the floors felt like they were going to break every second. BUT the biggest disappointment was BY FAR the breakfast. First of all, you have to wait quite a while for a staff member to check you in so you can get to the buffet style breakfast. We paid extra for the breakfast but should've rather went to a local café. Almost everything was out of stock at 9am (breakfast lasts until 10:30 on Sundays) and when asking the staff members for things such as more toast, they gave an annoyed look and came back with about 10 slices of bread that were gone in seconds. Not to mention that there is no such thing as cheese or salami or anything. The Nutella was empty too. The worst thing was the coffee which tasted like a mix of instant coffee and chlorine. There also was no juice left and all the staff was doing was standing literally right next to the juice containers and not filling them up but rather appeared to have private conversations. When entering the hotel, you are greeted with a nice smell of moisture combined with mold. Only good thing was the view which was nice and the size of the rooms which sadly doesn't make up for all the negative aspects of this hotel. Honestly would never come back to this so called 4 star hotel. read more

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I'm torn on this review. As a hotel, this spot is lack-luster. The rooms are extremely worn and dated, and are stuffy, with no AC and windows that only crack a bit. The finishes are worn, tile is cracked and curtains falling down. It's rough. But; as far as location, it's amazing. And has parking. And breakfast is great. So, if you need a central spot with parking for a few nights in Stirling, this place is probably a good option. Prepare for the bedraggled appearance, and enjoy the (surprisingly) comfy bed, tasty breakfast and amazing location. read more

I could reiterate all the negative comments in the reviews. We experienced the same level of quality of rooms, stuffy, warm room and no service from staff. At dinner, I ordered the plate of Artisan Breads as a starter. What came, was four slices of toasted sliced bread. I was not impressed. read more

Probably the worst mattresses (and night's sleep) I have ever had at any hotel. A good bed and a clean room should be the basic prerequisites to any hotel and this one fails to meet either. read more

I seldom publish reviews on the internet, but this hotel has pushed me to the edge. I booked a Deluxe Double Room many months ago hoping to have an elevated stay in this popular hotel in Stirling. I paid a decent amount extra for the nicer room, and when I arrived was disappointed to find that my "deluxe" room has a very torn carpet with duct tape on top of it in multiple places. I accidentally stepped on these sections on the floor in the middle of the night and felt myself sinking into the floor a bit. This is very disappointing, considering I decided to stay here because I wanted a nicer place to stay and I booked a more expensive room. When I went down to share this with the front desk employee, she apologized and said there are no available rooms to change to. I asked her if there is anything else the hotel can do to make up for this, and she said she couldn't promise anything. I never heard a word from any employees at the hotel. No offer of a drink, a meal, a partial reimbursement, nothing. I also emailed the hotel after my first night and did not hear back until after I left, but I'll get back to this later. I was also denied a late checkout, and when I went to check out, I reiterated my concerns to another employee at reception, who said she would pass them along to management...so I finally hear back from management via email a full day after checking out. The supposedly new manager Jay sends me a whole email of fluff with no offer of compensation or anything of substance at all, aside from the fact that they LIED that I was offered another room and a late checkout. Between the lies and excuses that the rooms have yet to be refurbished, I was very disappointed and let Jay know this was simply untrue. Well, Jay doesn't believe me, and reiterated in their reply that the staff offered me another room and late checkout (which is absolute BS). I reiterated in one final reply that this wasn't true, and that I would be sharing my experience publicly if they did not acknowledge this, and make the situation right. They are standing firm, so here I am. All in all, disappointed I spent so much money on a truly run down hotel. My suggestion, try to find another place in Stirling. I will never be returning with this type of customer service. Absolutely outrageous. read more

This is a great hotel, I have stayed here 5 times. The hotel building is the old Stirling High school. There is an indoor swimming pool attched to a health club that residents can use. The car park does tend to get full. The staff on the whole are very pleasant. The rooms have always been good and well dressed. The service in the bar can be poor. I would advise against eating in the restaurant as the menu is limited and expensive for what it is. The quality and standard fall short of what you would expect in such a lovely hotel. The breakfast is okay and the wine list decent. The hotel is on a steep hill, but a great location for exploring Stirling by foot. It is a fantastic hotel sorely let down by it's food. read more

We stayed 1 night in January 2020 while on a visit from the US. Old, tired and very small. We paid the extra $30 to upgrade our king room to their best room type. I am not sure what we would have gotten in a standard king if this was an upgrade. Room was very cold with 2 space heaters in the closet that we were instructed to use to get it to temp. The radiator system had no controls and ours appeared not to work as well as other parts of the hotel which were much warmer. We left in the early morning as our stay was not comfortable and we were disappointed. read more

Stayed for 7 nights on a tour vacation booked through AHI. Had great service in a lovely location. The front desk was very helpful, even with their computer system having trouble. When the wake-up calls weren't working they actually came and knocked on the door. Rooms were clean, bathroom was exceptional. Even with a large group, the service in the hotel's restaurant was prompt and friendly. There were several food options at every meal that covered most of the groups tastes. The desserts were my favorite. A huge thank you to all the staff that waited on us. It's not easy to feed and serve 30 people at one time for over a week. Staff was very accommodating and helped us with all our 'tourist' questions. Housekeeping staff was approachable and pleasant. read more

This is a lovely hotel with a lot of character. It is set up the hill towards the Castle and is, therefore, in a great position. As it used to be a school, the hotel is set around a quad, with the quad now forming the car park. The rbedooms and a leisure centre, with swimming pool and gym, are set around the quad. The quality of the rooms is very good and they are well presented and comfortable. There is a bar with a small tv room. This, again, is nicely presented but the service can be poor here. The coffee is also poor and not recommended. There is a large dining room which serves a good breakfast but unfortunately falls very short for dinner. I have eaten here a number of times as I have booked a special hotel offer that includes dinner and have been disappointed on each occasion. I no longer book these special offers and have dinner elsewhere in Stirling. The only other downside is that the car parking can become a problem as the leisure centre is open to the public for membership. The hotel also appears to host a lot of conferences so parking can be at a premium. As a hotel to stay the night and have a good breakfast, it is excellent. read more

Quite pricey, but a really nice meal. We had a lovely evening out there. The menu was extensive, the food cooked to perfection and very tasty and the wine was good too. The staff were all very friendly and helpful, quick to notice if you needed anything without ever being obtrusive. They were also happy to explain any dish and to find out exactly what was safe for someone with food intolerances - they all seemed very knowledgeable about food intolerance, which is certainly not always the case when we go out! I'd happily recommend Scholars for a special evening out - but due to the prices it's not for every day - or even every month for us, especially in these credit crunch times. I'm already looking forward to my next meal there come on lottery read more

A fine building for a hotel and ideally placed for the Castle for our one-night stopover.The reception staff were polite and helpful. The premium room was comfortable but with a view over a derelict building. Also the shower did not work properly. It was either tepid or scalding. As the problem was the shower thermostat though we were able to draw a bath. The biggest disappointment was the breakfast. If we had wanted a buffet style cooked meal with minimal service and luke warm food I would have gone to either a supermarket cafe or one of the large cheap end chain hotels. read more