The Orkney Hotel in Kirkwall

We went for my sons 20th birthday. Alia, our waitress was very helpful. She made a lovely job with my sons cake and was very polite

Our room was outdated and needs an upgrade. The shower was not good. The water pressure was too low and it was too hot or too cold. The full breakfast was so so. It was not cold but also definitely not warm. Not a place where I would go again.

Popped in for dinner one night of our five night stay. Steak pie was very poor. The merest hint of gravy in the bottom of the dish and some of the steak was so hard I couldnt get my fork in to it. My husband had the burger and it was very dry and hard to eat. Disappointed

Excellent food, excellent range on the menu and fantastic portions I had the Risotto and it was superb my family had pies and the roast and everyone enjoyed it

The hotel is right in the heart of Kirwall, within easy reach of all local amenities. Although a little dated, it is very clean and also very comfortable. The food was very good, breakfast more than adequate. For the whisky connoisseur, there is one of the largest collections I have ever seen accommodated behind the bar and in two large glass cabinets. Would definitely stay here again.

Hotel is well located but the rooms are well beyond “slightly dated” and service was questionable. Shower was mouldy, toilet handle had to literally be pumped to flush it, and the room overall had decor and finishings straight from the 60’s.Breakfast is included which is nice but be prepared to wait; both days we stayed here (Saturday and Sundaythey had TWO people working the entire breakfast area. Took nearly 40 minutes from time of order to be eating. Bar/restaurant always appeared to be near empty at night time.

Great whisky selection at great prices.

We loved staying here. The room was comfortable and suited us fine. The room was also well serviced each day and the lady that looked after our room was lovely.The breakfast was delicious and we could ask for what we specifically wanted. At times the service did seem a bit disorganised but most staff were lovely.However, there was one young woman who shouldnt be working in hospitality. She never smiled. Was never polite and this was shared with us by another guest. We actually thought we had wronged her in some way. The barman should never be working in a bar. Absolutely no personality whatsoever. I have worked in bars and it is the bar staff that draws in customers. This explained why the bar was constantly empty. I am not the first reviewer to note this as one did in November 2021. He also commented on this issue. Obviously nothing has changed since then. Its a shame as it is a lovely bar. Although I have complained about two staff, which I dont like doing, we did, in fact, enjoy our visit. The hotel is superbly situated.

Very good room and facilities and central location.

Great location. Looks small from the outside! Lovely, friendly staff. Great breakfast. Clean. Would stay again.

Empty hotel but wouldnt let us check in early, cold place, room warm. Helpful staff.

Good food, food whisky with friendly service

Had a drink in the bar and was refused lemon in my drink as it “would take 10 mins to get the lemon” was told to “put in my mask” as I was putting it on, moody bar staff and had no interest in making our time in the bar a good time! Absolutely appalling service and would never go back to the bar!

Whisky and gin bar is phenomenal! Huge menu and very friendly staff. 10/10

Friendly staff. Good dinner and breakfast. Room OK but a bit dated.

Room was dated but was comfortable for a 1 night stay , bar was lovely and the food was outstanding!!

I Had early starts so no breakfast got there off last ferry,stop serving meals at 20.00 the bar for meals can be very very noisy was in restaurant upstairs as as l so alone I had to sit at a table for one next to the kitchen when I asked to sit somewhere else I was told just because your on your own thats the only table shower was a bit of a hit and miss god for bid there was a fire in the night with all the small corridors you would find it hard to get out

Really nice atmosphere and clean throughout, breakfast was good quality products.

The new Australian girl has exceptional customer service. She was very nice and polite and her smile is a breath of fresh air(I can see through masks). You have a true asset there Orkney hotel. 👍👍

Friendly and welcoming staff. Clean and comfy room with a good shower. Excellent location only 2 minutes walk from St Magnus Cathedral. Wi-Fi was intermittent but did work eventually. Breakfast was very good with plenty of toast and coffee.

A really good example of what hospitality in the Scottish Highlands and Islands should be. The staff truly make this place, balancing the needs of tourists and business clients excellently.Whilst the hotel isnt a new place it is always in great condition and is regularly improved, updated and invested in. Ive stayed here on multiple occasions and have never been disappointed by any room Ive had. Like many older hotels it has a slightly quirky layout, but its well lit, always impeccably clean and suited to both business and pleasure.The food is always of a good standard, cooked freshly to order and generously portioned. Even at their most busy during the pandemic the staff always go out of their way to ensure each and every guest is made welcome and looked after. If anything does go wrong, staff go entirely out of their way to make it right and deal with you in a personable and genuine manner.Parking is limited, as its so central, but at worst Ive had a short walk to the hotel after parking safely very nearby. This may not suit everyone, but has never been an issue for me and every central hotel on the island is similar. The hotel has a few spaces at the front and a private car park at the back, but theres plenty of nearby free parking within a short walk if needs be.Ive stayed in a number of hotels on Orkney, none have been bad, but the Orkney Hotel has been the most welcoming, helpful and consistently high standard on the island by far. I would wholeheartedly recommended staying their for business or pleasure and will no doubt continue to do so regularly in the future. Well done and thank you!

Not the first time Ive stayed here (key worker travelling, not for pleasure exactlybut it truly is a pleasure. Rooms are tidy and warm, most are away from the road and the little noise that generates. The staff are super and let you do your thing if you need, but every bit as chatty and full of energy if you wish to engage!Breakfast is superb, hearty and the tea is nicely brewed, the haggis is tasty as can be and how can I not mention the perfectly cooked bacon.Central to town this hotel is great value for money, and Ill be recommending it to my colleagues and others who wish to visit Kirkwall.

Popped in for lunch and a couple of drinks ended up coming back the next day aswell it was so nice. Barman was entertaining. Drinks were a good price as was the food.

Food good and made to order . Staff not very professional apart from the lady on reception and bar she was great .Rooms a bit dated . Shower had a fair bit of mould and a bit dated .Bar area and whisky display very nice indeed .Hope the rooms are next to get a refurb over all ok

An excellent set up. Wonderful selection. Daniel gave us some outstanding whisky recommendations. Very impressed.

OMG, amazing collection of spirits. Food was good but not great, but go for the drinks and friendly staff

The food was good , room decor very 80s and tired, the curtains didnt keep the lights outside, the room had a plastic sky light which when rained on sounded like someone tapping the plastic, the room walls are very thin heard the man next door sneezing and thought he was in the same room. , breakfast very dry scrambled eggs , 1 sausage and dried bacon, didnt get a pot of coffee had to keep asking for a top up. Staff very nice and helpful though. Overpriced for what you get.

Such a lovely place for a stop. Great food& friendly staff & the largest selection of whisky I have ever seen. Give them a visit.

Lovely people. And very helpful. The bar in the first floor is very nice and have a nice food.

Rooms and staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast left a bit to be desired, every morning I had cold under toasted toast. One morning the breakfast was great the other 3 days😑

Very well situated, close to the cathedral, and shops. However, parking could be a problem at busy times, and the wi-fi is a bit weak. The breakfast was ample, and efficiently served. We ate dinner there on 2 evenings and the quality, value and service were very good.

Very pleasant, charming people, good food and service. My only criticisms are, and this is my personal view, is that the comfortable and stylish bar is not enhanced by the number of TV screens. Also, although I had the pleasure of looking at the garden from the restaurant window, I was unable to find a way into it (apart from the fire escape on the second floor)!

Great Bar. Soooo many Whiskys. The Staff is really helpful and they are Whiskey experts. More than 1.500 to taste!

Did not stay here, however they have fantastic selection of whiskeys in the bar. They need to get a bit organized, but well it is Orkney Island(Kirkwallafter all!!

Good location in the centre of Kirkwall with free parking too. Our room was dated but the bed was comfy and the shower was good so it was ideal. The breakfast was lovely with good choices available. The bar had a very large selection of drinks and was very friendly. Would stay here again in Orkney.

Great food and the whisky range is unreal and bar staff know their stuff

We read the five star reviews and decided this would be the place for us to go for a steak dinner. Sunday evening, so we booked in advance expecting it to be busy. It wasnt - maybe four other tables. Anyway, our table looked out over the garden, so that was good. We ordered drinks, wine and beers and a St Clements. The bar staff didnt know what a St Clements is (orange and bitter lemon - as per the nursery rhyme). Not that we were going to get one anyway as they didnt have any bitter lemon. No worries, orange and lemonade would do, which arrived at the table eventually.Time to order. "Four steaks please." we said."Sorry gentlemen, the steaks are finished. None left. Football crowd in at lunchtime.We should have told you when we brought the menus. Sorry."We took a moment or two to debate our course of action. We wanted steaks which we now couldnt have. On the other hand, Kirkwall is a busy place, we might not get in anywhere else, we had our drinks in front of us, a garden view and the remainder of the menu to choose from. We decided to stay.Time to order again. "Two beef goulash and....." The waitress immediately interrupted. "Sorry gentlemen, the goulash is finished too. I should have said. Sorry." We said that we were somewhat unhappy with the way things were going. A manager appeared. "Sorry about the steaks, gentlemen, but we had cruise ship passengers in at lunchtime..." Hmmm. Not the football crowd then?"We have venison." she offered. "No thanks" we said. We left and will not go back. A very disappointing customer experience.

My room was clean and well maintained. Food also excellent and whisky choice menu exceptional.

My room had a recently fitted new install. Workmanship was poor. Taps and toilet fixings were loose. No apparent urgency to deal with, as it would have been obviously clear to housekeeping staff that there were issues. Room very dated. Overall very poor value.

Cant comment on the stay in the hotel but the pub and food is excellent. Food is great quality and very tasty. Drinks menu is unreal. Can have £5 gin, rum or single malt ranging all the way up to some of the rarest measures of whisky. A pub for everyone and also shows sports on the many Tvs in the pub. Always enjoy starting the night here.

Great historic hotel in central location, walking distance from cute downtown area, lots of hidden shops, cafes, museum and impressive cathedral. Friendly, clean hotel. Great bar and food. Had lunch once, dinner twice. Beautiful restaurant upstairs looking out onto garden. Lovely scallops and sweets to die for.Comfy clean room with lots of natural light, beautiful bathroom with spacious shower-may have recently been done up.All in all, made our trip that much more enjoyable. Would definitely stay again.

Nice hotel in a good location. The reception area and newly refurbished bar are good, a nice staircase leads the upstairs restaurant and rooms. The floor I was on was a bit of a rabbit warren of sloping narrow corridors, no doubt testament to the age of the building and the tightly packed street its on, I think adds to the charm. My room was slightly dated by modern decoration standards but had everything I needed and was clean and comfortable. The morning breakfasts were good, quick and well presented. Would certainly stay here again if the need arose.

Food was decent but not extraordinary (they can work on presentation). Bar area has been recently done up and has a nice vibe to it. Wide selection of spirits.

Had evening meal here, food was delicious and reasonably priced. Only negative was that it took nearly 50 minutes to come out which was a little surprising for a Monday evening, however this was the only minor for an other wise very good meal.

THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE LYING ON AT THIS HOTEL, right next to your face, a yellow, sweat stained pillow (bodily fluids), then you pull your duvet over you thinking it is clean...try looking at the actual duvet its also stained with bodily fluids. The pillow and mattress protectors are stained with bodily fluids as well (they never get washed), sheets are stained and also the runner on the bed. cheap, thin protectors on pillow and mattress. Net curtains have black mould on them and one room has damp bed linen because the room is always so damp. Downstairs might look great, the picture on the internet might look great, but in some rooms the showers do not work properly, taps are not fitted properly and toilet seats need fixing. People with different coloured skin are discriminated by being on a lower rate of pay. You pay over £100 a night to sleep in a bed thats full of other peoples bodily fluids

Great food, warm welcome, clean and tidy. Very close to the heart of the town so an easy walk to wherever you need to go

Fantastic traditional hotel. Bathrooms are a bit outdated...if booking ask to get a superior room with the hottub.Good food.Can be a bit noisy if full.STAY AWAY FROM ROOM 100

Lovely place to stay down the back lane in central Kirkwall. The staff (even though only saw onewas lovely and friendly was able to help with places to go and see (even route for run which in my experience the reception teams just look blankey at you). Didnt have anything to eat at restaurant due to lack of vegetarian options (not issue as not hungry). Room was pleasant and need was comfy, bath was it big enough for someone 55 or so but it had a bath most only have showers. Breakfast was lovely and the staff member (the same girl from check-inwas nice and friendly and cheery. Again minimal vegetarian options but at least they checked on veggie sausage unlike my Shetland experience which was.... what are they? Would stay again next time..

Staff are friendly and helpful and the food isnt bad compared to other hotels in the area.Shower pressure in my room was dismal to say the least but the room otherwise was clean and comfortable. A bit of updating in decor and decent showers and itll be a decent hotel.

The location was good, very central and easy to find. The room, though comfortable, was basic and dated.There wasnt a bed side cabinet or lamp, but there was a desk and apart from at the desk, there were no sockets that tied in with the rest of the furniture eg: there was a double socket right behind the middle of the bed.My room was detached from the main building and was devoid of WiFi, which meant going to reception for a signal.The ensuite had a good shower, but the cubicle was dirty in the corners.The food was reasonable in quality too.In all, not a bad overnight stay, but I would have insisted on moving if I had to stay any longer.