Ayre Hotel & Ayre Apartments

The breakfast provided a good cooked breaffast as well as cereal, toast, yogurt etc. and I had a good meal in the restaurant one night. The rooms were perfectly adequate for me with a comfortable bed and an excellent desk chair and desk for someone like me who need to use it. The location on the harbour was suitable for getting out of town or in walking distance of most of the town centre. Last but not least the hotel staff were very helpful and friendly.

The heated breakfast trays dried out the eggs when the the demand was slow, which just needs a little more attention. The ongoing improvement works were a little noisy at times but should be over soon I understand.

location

noisy, doors slamming, which are things that that disrespectful other clients are to blame for, not the establishment

We stayed an apartment and had the breakfast once. Not a good range of choice, very old fashioned we’d say

More choice

location

Overpriced

Ideal location for exploring Orkney and its city, Kirkwall. Staff were really helpful and friendly.

It missed on having a comfortable lounge to sit in, the bar was large but largely tables and upright chairs. During our stay work was going on in the day outside out room but apart from our arrival day when we had to close our curtains to have a nap it was not a problem as we were out all day!

Finding the room was a little confusing. We had some misunderstanding about our dinner booking. Otherwise, everything was great.

The amenities were modern and clean. Darren was welcoming both in reception and later in the restaurant. The food was well prepared and presented.

Construction was ongoing outside and inside the hotel, though not directly adjacent to the rooms. That should end soon. It appeared that the hotel is shortstaffed, and that puts a strain on the existing staff. This seems common in Kirkwall, as booking dinner times is an absolute necessity to avoid waiting hours for an opening. I suspect this is an early season issue that corrects itself when students become available for summer work. The hotel needs more staff, pure and simple.

Good and freshly prepared food Good location Good quality of comfort an bedrooms and public areas Friendly helpful staff - particularly the room cleaners who were always smiling and cheerful

Some of the young staff ( males)waiting at table could perhaps from benefit from some more training in how to interact with guests to make them feel welcome. Smile, show some interest in what customers are going to see/do whilst staying. It took a few days effort on our part to get them to interact. We made an effort with them as we have experience in training in customer relationship. They are good but could be improved to the benefit of the hotel. This is intended as feedback to help a good hotel become excellent

We first stayed @ the hotel in 2012 & 2013 on an archeological tour. We returned to visit the Ness of Brodgar dig site so we knew the hotel before we came. It has gone through some changes since first we visited but the evening meal was still excellent as were the staff!

We were disappointed with the breakfast which was not as good as we remembered with a smaller selection of items which frequently ran out I.e. Danish pastries, orange juice. The fried eggs seemed a bit over cooked at times! We also recognised the carpet leading to the restaurant from our 2012/13 visit & hope that it will be included in your renovations at some point soon.

I’ve tried 5 hotels in Kirkwall so far and this one, for me, wins the first place easily! ticks all the boxes,and even exceeds expectations. i was warmly welcomed from the first minute in the property. the room I was give was actually a flat that had a living space with a very comfy sofa bed and a tv, fully fitted kitchen with everything you need (for those who like cooking) then a separate bedroom with a another tv. the cleanliness of the hotel is noted everywhere, thumbs up for the housekeepers :) the rest of the staff are also friendly and welcoming. the location is superb-just in front of the harbor and a minute away from the town center. the food served in the property is quality and tastes great. for me, it’s the best on town! I think I found the one property to return to as I have to visit the Island twice a year for work.

nothing not to like but if I must pick one I would say that the extract fan in the bathroom and kitchen are quite noisy