Edinburgh hotels · head to head
Old Town doorstep against West End practicality — four-star Jeffrey Street pin with Royal Mile at 0.1 km versus three-star Shandwick Place with Haymarket at 0.4 km.
By Kaiser Khan · last reviewed
Rates for both move constantly, so nothing here quotes a price. Each full review carries the rate comparison for that property.
Both carry POI rows and both score well on location — 9.59 against 9.09. One sells Royal Mile and Waverley walks; the other sells Haymarket and a closer airport pin. That is a real either/or for first-time Edinburgh.
We publish a handful of comparisons per city, chosen by an editor. We do not generate a page for every possible pairing: at thirty hotels that would be 435 near-identical pages per city, and at five hundred it would be 124,750 for one city alone — which is a doorway-page pattern, not a service to anybody trying to pick a hotel.
Should you book this hotel?
Leonardo if Royal Mile at 0.1 km and four-star restaurant kit matter; Four Points if Haymarket at 0.4 km, cleaner cleanliness scores and no breakfast-included disappointment win — accepting Royal Mile at 1.5 km.
Position splits Old Town from West End. Leonardo puts Royal Mile at 0.1 km, Waverley at 0.2 km and castle at 0.8 km. Four Points puts Haymarket at 0.4 km, Princes Street Gardens at 0.6 km, castle at 1.1 km and Royal Mile at 1.5 km. Airport is 12 km against 9 km.
Headline supplier ratings: 8.5 from 13,325 at Leonardo against 8 from 11,663 at Four Points, captured 10 and 7 January 2026. Leonardo leads on amenities (9.07 against 7.57) and value (9.03 against 8.03); Four Points leads on cleanliness (8.08 against 6.58). Service is high at both (8.55 each).
Facilities decide the band. Leonardo lists fitness centre, restaurant, bar and room service. Four Points lists family rooms and laundry without restaurant, fitness or included breakfast — a named con.
Verdict last reviewed . Rates, refurbishments and management change — re-check anything time-sensitive before booking.
4-star hotelOld Town & Royal MileLeonardo Hotels
A four-star Leonardo on Jeffrey Street — Royal Mile 0.1 km, Waverley 0.2 km, castle 0.8 km — with location at 9.59 out of 10 and poor cleaning service named in cons.
Third-party guest reviews: 8.5/10 from 13,325 reviews — as of
3-star hotelWest End & HaymarketFour Points Express
A three-star Four Points Flex on Shandwick Place — Haymarket 0.4 km, Princes Street Gardens 0.6 km, castle 1.1 km — with clean premises praised and no breakfast included as a named con.
Third-party guest reviews: 8.0/10 from 11,663 reviews — as of
Every row is checkable against the supplier data on the two property pages. “Level” is a real answer and is used — a comparison where one side wins every row is usually a comparison somebody wrote backwards from the conclusion.
| What is being compared | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh | Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official classification | 4-star | 3-star | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh |
| Position | Jeffrey Street. Royal Mile 0.1 km, Waverley 0.2 km, castle 0.8 km, airport 12 km. | Shandwick Place. Haymarket 0.4 km, Princes Street Gardens 0.6 km, Royal Mile 1.5 km, airport 9 km. | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh |
| Supplier rating (our hotel data provider, /10 — display only) | 8.5 from 13,325 reviews, as of 10 January 2026 | 8 from 11,663 reviews, as of 7 January 2026 | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh |
| Location (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 9.59 — Royal Mile and Waverley doorstep | 9.09 — centre and airport bus access | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh |
| Cleanliness (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 6.58 — poor cleaning service named | 8.08 — clean well-maintained premises named | Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh |
| Service (third-party guest score, /10 — display only) | 8.55 — friendly staff; complaint handling mixed | 8.55 — friendly welcoming staff named | Level |
| Restaurant / fitness | Restaurant, bar, room service and fitness centre listed | No restaurant or fitness in cited facts; no breakfast included | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh |
| What guests complain about | Poor cleaning service; noise; inadequate breakfast | Uncomfortable beds; heating/plumbing; no breakfast included | Level |
| Edinburgh Airport (POI) | 12 km | 9 km | Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh |
| Review sample size | 13,325 reviews | 11,663 reviews | Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh |
Rows taken: Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh 6, Four Points Flex by Sheraton Edinburgh 2, level 2. Counting rows is not how you pick a hotel — one row usually decides it, and the verdict above says which.
Every property we cover in Edinburgh, the areas they sit in, and the verdict on which area suits which trip.
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