The Gleneagles Hotel

I booked one of the Glenmor lodges for me and my elderly mum. In a nice surprise my brother followed up and booked into the hotel with his wife and son. We ate at the Strathearn, the Birham, and also had afternoon tea. Golf and spa also booked. The lodge standard was top notch - everything is provided for you could possibly need and the lodge is thoughtfully set up. The staff at the hotel are magnificent. The friendly doormen and Glenmor reception deserve a special mention. The spa was the only let down. It was fine but wouldn’t go out of my way to visit again. I had a Barbara Strum facial and massage. It was just missing that bit extra you expect with a 5 star hotel. (I.e Nobu spa Barbara Strum facial, you go in and get a ginger shot, warm or cold towel, get an amazing facial with no spa music, a bit of ceremony, and after get a homemade herbal tea with some nuts and fig etc. Not a teabag with little choice in a small non china glass cup.

Still excellent facilities and welcoming ambience. I gave 5 stars some years ago But two unusual (for a hotel of this standard) service problems on our last trip. 1. Queues for breakfast. The time delay is not relevant. It should not happen at all. It's not a budget break on the Costa del Auchterarder. 2. Double billing. (a late debit on a card which had already paid the item at checkout). Look like staffing issues (numbers and experience) We hope this is not the beginning of a slow decline at this iconic place.

2 nights country room. Strathearn restaurant good. Breakfasts there excellent, some of the best hotel breakfasts in Britain. Andrew Fairlie restaurant with wine flights was flawless, but the main hotel under Accor management is not what it used to be. They messed up everything on the invoicing, from crediting the deposit to the wrong room ( we had two rooms booked by one guest but supposed to be separately billed) to trying to charge for a tennis lesson that was paid for months in advance by the purchase of a voucher. The noise in the room at night from a heating fan was deafening and the ear plugs I requested were delivered to the wrong room The bath was tepid and had to be drained while I waited 2 hours for water temperature to be increased. An expensive facial was charged to the wrong room. Worst of all we tipped the bell boy and various other staff in cash and they "forgot"to mention the 12.5% automatically charged on all services plus a 5%v charge on the cost of the rooms. When asking for my sixth or seventh invoice with accurate figures I had to tell the receptionist to lower her voice - very poor customer service. I have had a Gleneagles time share and have stayed there many times, as host and guest, and I can tell you the grand old lady of British hotels is not what it used to be.

This was our second visit to Gleneagles and our first across the festive season. We stayed in a Braid Estate room again - we love having the fireplace. The room was spotlessly clean as you would expect and the bed is so comfortable. Having previously dined at the Birnham and Andrew Fairlie we opted to dine at the Strathearn on both nights. Sunday lunch was fantastic, all prepared table side adding an element of theatre. Shout out to Vicky and Jay Jay who looked after us, both a real credit to the team. As fantastic as the hotel is, along with its facilities and amenities, it really is the staff and hospitality which are the star of the show. They all create a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere with a dash of elegance and charm. Add it all together and you have a truly amazing hotel. We’ll be back (again) for sure, untill next time… best wishes, Simon & Emma

Five of us visited for coffee & cakes/lunch in the garden cafe as part of our Christmas celebrations. We received a very warm welcome & excellent service throughout. We ordered a range of food including soup which was described as the “best ever had”. The quiche was so good, my friend ordered one for takeaway. The hot chocolate was exceptional - top tip ask for cream etc. i stuck with earl grey & a lovely scone - i very much enjoyed them. The setting is stunning, staff at every stage of our visit were friendly despite clearly being busy at this time of year. Well worth a visit.