Victoria Square & The Orangery

We stayed at Victoria Square for one night as a stop-over in Stirling, and we were not disappointed! We stayed in Room 6, which had a 4-poster bed and walk-in shower with a rainfall shower head, which felt amazing after our long drive. The staff was excellent and made us feel right at home. When you arrive, they also take your breakfast order for the following morning so it is ready when you want it. The hotel was also quiet, away from main streets, and we didn't hear any of the other guests. In fact, we didn't even know there were other guests we went down to breakfast. The hotel is also within walking distance from the Port Street area, which has a bunch of great places to find food and coffee. We didn't end up eating at the restaurant in the hotel.

I have been working more than 10 years in hotels and hospitality industry and this is a 2-3 star hotel. I won’t recommend you to go if you expect 5 star. It is far from a 5 star hotel. Services are not enough. Rooms weren’t so good. It was so hot and they don’t have air conditioners. In my room the cold washing hands wasn’t working. The plugs wasn’t working all of them. You have to choose the breakfast the day before. Breakfast is not a 5 star hotel breakfast. The receptionist wasn’t kind about giving alternatives to have dinner outside the hotel because they were fully booked, and suggested to call by ourselves other restaurants instead of making her the reservation. The location is good.

Definitely a charming 3-star hotel, it doesn't even come close to 5 stars. Now I will explain the reasons: A service that leaves much to be desired; at what point in a five-star hotel can you not eat in its restaurant being a guest, and if not, offer a reasonable alternative managed by the same hotel. Among other things, at what point does a five-star hotel make you order breakfast the day before and on top of that not even explain correctly how it works, definitely leading to food waste by not being able to choose what to eat. Not to mention, it was quite a poor breakfast, with just decent quality food like the croissants. Also, at what point does a five-star hotel skip explanations about how the hotel and its services work just to save time. More things among many others: dirty dishes, illegible Wi-Fi password since it was handwritten and partly erased, some cobwebs in the room and bathroom, which are not really a problem but are not what you'd expect from a five-star hotel, an unbearable heat in the room — understandable given a heat wave, but without much solution from the hotel except for a small fan. Definitely, five-star standards are higher, at least in my experience in different hotels. It is disappointing that this is considered five-star. I don't know who gives out the stars, but what you cannot give are excuses for the service if not, then you are simply not a five-star. In conclusion, under no circumstances does it meet the five-star requirements found in other countries or regions in terms of quality, service, and hospitality. Therefore, the price is highly overrated considering what you actually get. I would not recommend it unless they lower their rating or prices.