The Principal Grand Central Hotel

Attended for a staff training day . Superb location . Attentive but not intrusive staff. Excellent set up for training events. Nothing is a bother to the organiser. Training day delivered without fuss in a professional manner .

Recommendable hotel in the heart of Glasgow. Walking through the halls and stairwells you will get an impression how noble this place once was - which does not mean that it has changed much to the worse since then. The rooms were large and well staffed, bathrooms clean and modern and the breakfast just what you would expect. Unluckily my colleague got a room with windows to the central station platforms (under the same roof as the 1st and 2nd floor of the hotel rooms). While this provided a special and funny experience to look out, the passenger traffic of the incoming trains started at 5:00 next morning, which degraded the over-night-experience drastically. Though - good value for money with the charm of the Victorian age.

Probably our least favourite spot that we have stayed at our entire trip. Let’s get the positives out of the way...

The hotel is very centrally located - right in the center of the city and close to Grand Central train station if you are looking to get in or out of the city quickly. It also has a historic feel to the entire building which gives it some added character.

The negatives though...
Firstly, there was no heating in the room. For some reason all of the heaters are deactivated. One of the hotel staff members told us that they don’t activate the heaters until the end of October while a second mentioned that they just keep them off during the daytime in the summer/fall months. The heaters never came on and we ended up having to have the staff come up and provide us with an electrical heater. It helped keep the room a little bit warmer, but the bathroom and living room area never really warmed up at all. It boggles my mind that the heating is still turned off considering what time of year it is. Maybe this is something that they can’t control as they are attached to the station, but this is something that guests should be aware of when selecting this hotel.

We also struggled with the wifi for our entire visit. It was slow when it was connected and it often disconnected during use. Our room received 2/3 bars max.

Lastly, while we enjoyed the older feeling of the hotel, our room looked fairly rundown and beat up. I took pictures of some of the walls. I get that it is an older hotel but some of these aesthetic features really need to be looked at.

We would not stay at the Grand Central Hotel again.

Had a wonderful stay at the hotel for our 20th Wedding anniversary - we had our wedding reception there in 1997. Food was delicious and service exceptional during our overnight stay. Staff were very happy to help and were friendly and interested. Room was spacious,clean and comfortable. Overall would not hesitate to recommend Grand Central Hotel.

The building is very nice. Being so close to the train is quite nice too. The staff were very helpful and just plain great!!

Breakfast in the hotel's restaurant was good, but i did not like the coffee. My only real complaint is that the room was too warm for sleeping and it was quite loud & bright outside (but since it is right downtown on a busy street, it should be expected)... but i would definitetly stay there again.

Great location as I strolled in straight from the station. The room was lean and comfortable. The staff were really accommodating. However when you book, do request a room that does not look upon the station as announcements start early!

Location of the hotel is great, right in the city centre and next to the main station. Staff were also good, very friendly and helpful. But... and there are a few buts. Firstly the room was very hot (and it was only May), there is no AC and the windows only slightly open. Next the door in the bathroom facing the toilet is glass and so never felt particularly comfortable. Then small things like in the room there were lots of mini shampoo bottles but no shower gel and the lifts in the hotel were very very slow so we had to wait for ages to get to our room. All in all, the small niggles we could live with but the hot room meant we got a very poor nights sleep. In fairness at checkout they asked how was the stay and I mentioned the issues and they were very good about it (hence two stars) but I would not stay there again.

Very well equipped and quiet rooms for business meetings. Business lounge is excellent, staff are easy to get hold of and always quick to assist with any queries. Location is second to none for convenience and the sympathetically restored interior of the building is both comfortable and impressive. The bar too is very nice, with views over Central Station concourse to the main departure boards meaning it's not only a convenient and pleasant place for post-meeting refreshments, but also handy for attendees travelling home afterwards.

Visited the Champagne bar with a group of 6 people. Although it was a busy evening, we were seated and served quickly. The drinks were good, and the art deck interior gives the place a lovely, luxurious atmosphere. Would definitely come back.