Macdonald Four Seasons Hotel

My husband and I stayed here on a three night short break.There appears to be a number of problems. This hotel is one of four in the aviemore highland resort. Check in is done centrally at the resort reception, consequently there was no one to greet you at the hotel. During the day there appeared to be no staff whatsover in the hotel. There was no welcome pack in the room so we had no idea when the meal times were etc,and no information by the telephone, so we had no idea how to contact restaurants, reception etc. The hotel had a rather abandoned feel to it. Food was plentiful but very old fashioned and lacking any imagination or flair. The menu was extremely repetative. On two consecutive evening there was the same choice of three desserts.The side plate of vegetables was exactly the same every night. There is a swimming pool in the hotel, but this was being refurbished. I had not been informed of this when I made my telephone booking. There is a leisure centre shared by all four of the resort hotels. I think McDonald hotels could do with rethinking some of their ideas and trying for a little more customer care !!

If I had read the reviews of this hotel before booking I probably would have chosen somewhere else, however we approached the Hilton with trepidation. We booked a 2 night Hilton break for £129 and stayed two nights. Our room was small but spotlessly clean and very comfortable, bathroom squeeky clean. All the hotel staff are very friendly and well informed on local attractions, dining room staff very attentive and nothing too much trouble for them. We had two evening meals, a la carte on the first night (included in our price with the breakfasts) and buffet main meal on the 2nd, together with the breakfasts the food was brilliant, wine from £16 - ?? a bottle. Overall we had a very good 2 day break, the hotel is well placed for all local attractions. The evening entertainment was good but a bit coach trip although I don't mean to be derogatory to coach trips, but after a long day in the fresh air, our evening meal and a bottle of wine we were content to just sit and listen. Go up the Funicular railway for magnificent views and if you have time - go and feed the reindeer! I would not hesitate to go to this hotel again.

Having read all the reviews to date of the Aviemore Hilton, I am most alarmed and pleased to say I had the best time ever here. My other half and I booked in at the last minute (been to a friends party the previous night and needed some proper sleep) and putting the rather steep room prices aside (£150 a night) had the most fabulous room. Admittedly we had a family room for the two of us (double bed each – brilliant) and there was a highland ball going on at the same time so we had the real highland experience. (I.e. lots of men in kilts ;-) ) As we had paid so much for the room, there wasn’t a cats chance in hell that we were going to give the Hiltons any more of our money for dinner, but as chance would have it we had spotted a nice looking pub (The Old Bridge Inn) 5 minutes drive away so went there instead. Mama mia the food was excellent… quick taxi back to the Hilton and a couple of cheeky scotch whiskeys later and a good night was had by all….. we woke with a thick head in the morning but a most superb Hilton breakfast soon chased any blues away. NB the staff in the breakfast restaurant are awesome:- very friendly and hard working! 10 out of 10 for that Aviemore breakfast.. (Obviously here the motto of the story is…. Book that family room 8-) Lou@Warwickshire

We stayed 14th & 15th June 04 having got a good deal from the press.On entering our room we noticed that the carpet was covered in dog hair. A porter was in the passage to whom I said were dogs allowed in the bedrooms. He said yes. I told him about the state of the carpet and he said he would attend to it. On our return the carpet had been vacumed whilst were out. No one mentioned it again. We left our comments in the box provided on the reception desk.We heard nothing so wrote to the manager to ask why pet friendly rooms are given to guests without pets, who perhaps have severe allergic reactions to pet hair, I am still waiting to receive a reply. Not even an acknowledgement from him!! This hotel is not up to the standard one would expect from the Hilton name no matter how much you pay. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. Having just returned from a tour of the USA our standards are very poor.

On a recent short break to Scotland,my Wife and I had the pleasure of staying at the Hilton Aviemore Hotel in the Scottish Highland's.What a wonderful experience.Comfort,convenience and most of all Hospitality second to none.If you do visit Aviemore,you must take a trip on the old steam railway and also the Funicular (Mountain ) railway for the most spectacular view's of the Scottish Highlands.We covered 480 Miles by car through the most beautiful countryside from Aviemore to Dalwhinnie through Fortwilliam and along Loch lomond back to Edinburg.It was our second visit to Scotland but it will not be our last.

What a horrid hotel. No ventilation, no AC which is typical in most UK hotels, but still too stuffy for my tastes. Old furnishings, bad food in the restaurant, rock hard beds, poor plumbing in the bathroom and generally just nasty. I wouldn't stay there again if I was forced to.

Probably a top hotel 20 years ago but now in need of upgrading. Bedrooms cramped. Food okish. Overpriced.

Having stayed in a number of Hilton hotels this one is not quite up to the usual standard. However the accomodation, food and staff were all good. The views from the rooms were magnificent. One point though is that the upgrade room (with robes, fruit, wine and chocolates) in my opinion is just a standard room with these extras put in (maybe I'm wrong)!! Wouldn't stop me returning though (been twice). Can still get great rates for this hotel so check out the press. If visiting do not miss going up the mountain train it is breathtaking.

Although Aviemore is no longer the groovy winter wonderland playground of Scotland's bright young things and parts of the town are looking pretty shabby, it's still a good base to explore the Cairngorms and the Hilton is possibly the best place to stay in Aviemore. The Soviet-style architecture looks worse (how the hell did they get planning permission?) outside than in, and the rooms aren't especially large, but the decor, standards of service and cleanliness are OK. The restaurant is always fairly busy - I think partly because most bookings are on a half board basis - but the food is quite good and much of it is Scottish in character. Because most of the hotel's customers seem to be approaching pensionable age, don't expect an adventurous ambience but it is pleasantly relaxing, whatever your age. One final point - the glass shelf in the bathroom is the perfect width and position to tip your open sponge bag direct into the toilet. So be careful where you put your false teeth.

I stayed at the Hilton in Aviemore for four nights during July 2003. The bedroom was excellent - the view was superb. The staff were friendly and made you feel welcome. The breakfasts were very good, but the evening meals were a little disappointing - though probably worth the price. The drinks were rather over priced. A very nice swimming pool. I would be happy to stay at the hotel again. It was good value for money.