Best Western Inverness Palace Hotel & Spa

Excellent location on the river Ness, so easy to walk in to town. We had a lovely family room in the back of the hotel - beautiful decor and very clean. It was a bit hot, but a fan was provided. Beds were comfy and we had no problems with noise until about 7am when the bins got emptied! WiFi good. Communal areas were also lovely, with comfy sofas in reception. The pool/spa area was really nice and modern, also clean and well maintained. Breakfast was good, although I am not a fan of the little plastic pots of fruit as I think it tastes a bit funny (I am aware that’s the times we’re living in though). We avoided the restaurant for dinner due to previous reviews and the proximity to other restaurant offerings. The staff were really lovely and very helpful - the recommendation for the nearest park was much appreciated! Would stay here again and would recommend. Thanks! less

We were very disappointed with our stay. The restaurant was like an up market cafeteria with not a smiling waitress in sight and little desire to provide a quality service. Reception helpful though. The room was lovely but we’d booked a twin and were given a double! less

Location is perfect, close to town, 10 minute walk from train station, close to beautiful river walks. We stayed for 4 nights in a lovely river view room. Staff were accommodating, breakfast was good and well organised and the hotel is spotless. There is a lovely, understated, comfortable feel about the hotel and it has everything you need. Would stay there again anytime. less

Outstanding hotel, staff, food with river ness walk and town center only minutes walking distance. Would 100% return for a visit. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left everything as catered for. Friendly welcome at the valet parking, reception and porter who took our cases to our room. Stunning room views looking over the river ness. Food in the hotel was excellent and the breakfast had everything you could wish for. less

We stayed at the Inverness Palace as part of a group tour and the hotel was in general everything we expected. The first major positive is its location, arguably the best location in the city with easy access to the shopping area and lovely walks along the river. The hotel also has a medium sized car park next to it which for some reason always seemed to be full even in the middle of the day, we hired a car one day and thought we may struggle but fortunately the hotel has allocated parking in a nearby public car park. The hotel itself is well decorated and we found it to be very clean in all areas. The room we had was very spacious and comfortable. We were staying during a bit of a heatwave but our room was in the more modern part of the hotel at the back and seemed to be a bit cooler than others as some members of our group had rooms in the older part of the hotel and had some uncomfortable nights. Another major positive is the leisure centre, the pool is a good size with the added bonus of a jacuzzi. The leisure centre staff were also very helpful. You do have to book a pool time but we never had a problem getting a slot. We had all our meals in the main restaurant which is where the hotel is let down a little. Firstly, in general the food was good but portion sizes are a little on the small size. Secondly, the service was very hit and miss. I completely understand that currently the hospitality industry is struggling with staffing and this was very evident at this hotel but at sometimes the dining room seemed to be solely staffed by teenagers who were very inexperienced and clearly struggling themselves although it must be said that they were always very polite. A better picture can be painted of the bar area, the bar staff seemed much more experienced and were very helpful. The gin selection was especially good, there was one local gin which hadn't been available during our stay but on our last night the waitress told us she'd especially gone to look for some and found it which was very kind. I'm sure that post-pandemic this hotel will be running very smoothly but even in these challenging times I'd certainly recommend staying here. less