The Gleneagles Hotel

We had an amazing stay again! All the staff are so welcoming, professional and friendly and it really is a wonderful place to stay! A total must!!! Highlight was dinner at Andrew Fairlie which was out of this world!! Best hotel experience in our opinion - there is nothing you can fault!

We stayed at Gleneagles for our minimoon, drawn by its reputation as one of the world’s top 50 hotels and expecting a luxurious, memorable experience. While the hotel itself is undeniably beautiful, with stunning grounds and exceptional food, the service and attention to detail fell far short of its reputation leaving us deeply disappointed with our stay. The issues began with our room. We were placed in an interconnecting room that was left unlocked between us and another family, creating not only an uncomfortable situation but also a serious privacy concern. To make matters worse, the room was directly above ongoing building works which the hotel was aware of but didn’t proactively avoid until we raised the issue ourselves. After two disrupted nights, we were moved to another room, but only after escalating the matter to guest services and waiting hours for it to be ready. A simple gesture, like offering a complimentary drink during this wait would have gone a long way in showing care for the guest experience. Dining was another area where Gleneagles fell short. Service was slow, with long waits at dinner, and surcharges were applied to absolutely everything. This felt excessive given that we were already paying £600+ per night for the room and extortionate prices on food and drink. While the food itself was exceptional and arguably the only highlight of the trip, the overall dining experience was undermined by the inconsistent service. Although there are some truly lovely staff members at the hotel, there was a noticeable sense of disingenuous service throughout. Surface-level conversations were masked as deeply caring interactions, and we often felt that staff lingered a little too long in the hope of receiving a cash tip. By the end of our stay, this disconnection became laughable and was epitomised in our final interaction. As I pulled the car around for my husband to load our suitcases, the doorman approached and said, “Good morning, Madam, welcome to Gleneagles!” - despite us speaking with said gentleman throughout our stay and having even had a conversation with him earlier that morning. This felt emblematic of the impersonal and lackluster service we encountered throughout. When we raised our complaint after our stay, the hotel’s response felt surface-level and robotic. The service charge was refunded, despite it being discretionary in the first place, and our room change was referred to as an “upgrade.” While the new room was a better category, at the time, it was simply presented as the next available option rather than a gesture to rectify the situation and was in no way provided as an apology. They also invited us back with the offer of a room upgrade, champagne, and amenities for a future stay. While we appreciate the offer, we won’t be returning. We understand that issues arise and no hotel is perfect, but it’s how these moments are handled that defines the guest experience. Gleneagles had ample opportunity to go beyond the bare minimum, whether through proactive communication, small gestures of goodwill, or simply making us feel valued as guests, but unfortunately, they failed to do so. For a hotel of this reputation and price point, this level of service isn’t acceptable. Our 3 days cost us c.£3,000 which we're happy to pay for a great stay. While the property itself is beautiful and the food worth experiencing, I wouldn’t recommend Gleneagles to couples seeking a memorable stay. There are far better countryside hotels across the UK that deliver exceptional service and care, especially when things don’t go to plan.

Things to know: The bathroom has no counter space and separate taps for hot and cold water (so you can't wash your hands with warm water). The hotel is lovely and really gives the sense of being at a country estate. We stayed for two nights and also signed up for their introduction to falconry and archery activities. Bed: Extremely comfortable, the linens and bedding feel high quality and there is a down comforter. Bathroom: The shower pressure is weak, but it has separate controls for the flow and temperature so you can turn it on directly to the temperature you like. The bathroom has heated towel holders and a heated floor, both of which are lovely when it’s cold. The sink has no counter space and the taps for hot and cold water are separate, so when you are washing your hands you either have to burn or freeze. Room: We really appreciated the fluffy slippers and robes that were available for use and a majority of the light switches made sense in their placement. The bedside lights were more awkward to turn on and off because they did not seem to be on the main light switches. We were on the third floor and the view from the window was nice, but we could not find a way to open the window and the thermostat in the room did not appear to have much flexibility/airflow. Activities: Both the falconry and the archery experiences were well run and it was extremely convenient to have everything available directly from the hotel. The falconry in particular was a unique and amazing time and we loved being able to have close interaction with the hawks. Our falconer gave us a tour of the other birds and also explained how the birds are cared for, as well as what their behaviors meant. Definitely a must do if you have an interest in bird of prey! Service: Service was generally good, the front door staff were very friendly. The staff at reception were helpful when we had issues, but were not very proactive. For example, we tried to use the ATM they had on site and it did not dispense the money we withdrew. When we went to the front desk they said they didn't own the ATM and there was nothing they could do. I would have expected them to at least say they would put a sign on the ATM or something else to indicate to other guests not to use it. Maybe they did and they just didn't tell us. Another odd instance was when we asked to change our restaurant reservation and they did get us a table at the new restaurant, but we weren’t sure if they ever canceled our reservation at the other restaurant (both were at Gleneagles). Food: The breakfast buffet was excellent, a lot of selection and the quality of the food was fantastic. The service on the first day was slow and I think they were just busier than usual, so go early if you’d like better service.

We took advantage of the Strathearn Nights deal to experience what can only be described as a once in a lifetime stay at this gorgeous hotel. We arrived a little early around 2.30pm, only be be let know that not only was our room ready but we'd been given a little upgrade to a bigger room. The receptionist was incredibly friendly and ran us through our stay, ensuring that we had a reservation for dinner that evening. We ventured up the stairs, marvelling at the stunning interiors and attention to detail to our room. Whilst there was not much of a view from the room, it was spacious and tastefully decorated with a stunning roll top tub in the bathroom alongside a shower and double sink, more then enough space for hair and make up! The small extra touches in the room such as branded shortbread and toiletries, and glasses readily available for use really made the place feel that extra special. We then headed down to the Health Club to see what that could offer us, unfortunately the steam room was out of order for maintenance but there was more then enough still available to keep us entertained. After some dips in the outdoor pool and a few tries of the two saunas it was time to head back up. The other half was delighted to find out that the room TV had TNT sports, allowing them to enjoy the Autumn Test matches as we got ready for dinner. The setting for dinner in the Strathearn Restaurant was incredible, despite it being a Sunday evening the place had a lovely atmosphere with a variety of guests, however it never felt too busy, or too quiet. I cannot remember our waiter's name, or our sommelier but every member of staff was so polite and attentive, my wine glass was never empty and all the food arrived in a timely manner. I opted for the scallops, duck and then chocolate dessert and my other half had the crab, venison and banoffee dessert. We shared some carrots and potatoes as sides and both felt as though the food was cooked perfectly, with sufficient portion sizes to allow a little indulgence. It would be remiss of me to not mention the charming gentleman who was playing the piano that evening, again I did not catch his name, however he was a retired school teacher and I hope our gratitude could be passed on. He expertly played some lovely songs, hitting a perfect balance between popular covers and classic piano pieces. We got chatting in between his songs as we were seated beside him, and mentioned that we were visiting in part to celebrate my new job. At the end of our meal to my surprise our waiter appeared with a delightful chocolate dessert with a candle in, letting us know that the gentleman had passed on that we were celebrating! Such a touching gesture only served to make what was already a fabulous stay even more special. Breakfast in the morning was a wonder, again set in the Strathearn Restaurant, the buffet had every single breakfast item you could dream of. There was a substantial selection of fresh juices, and a station for bloody Marys and mimosas, should you feel so inclined. The breakfast Al a Carte was great and I went for the smoked salmon and crowdie cheese croissant bun, followed by some fresh fruit. My partner choose to sample the hot buffet and was impressed by everything, particularly the crispy tattie scones. After a taxing breakfast we nipped back down to the health club for a final steam and sauna to soak up the last few moments of bliss before checking out and heading on our way. Would recommend a morning visit to beat the crowds, no issue getting a lounger beside the pool on a Monday morning. Our only regret is we didn't have time to go for a wander through the grounds, will have to come back to do so! All in all, an unforgettable stay in a glorious location where every little detail was considered and perfected.

Stayed here for three nights for our wedding anniversary. What an absolute amazing place !! Room outstanding- staff had placed a complementary bottle of wine for us in our room -massive bed with a beautiful patio . Food outstanding both in the restaurants and room service. Cannot recommend steak toastie in the century bar enough!! Pool fabulous, so much to do within the grounds! Truly amazing experience and we will hopefully be back soon. Staff all approachable and helpful . Big shout out to Caitlin at the check in / reception, absolute star, lovely and extremely helpful. Thank you Gleneagles for a wonderful stay .