Columba Hotel Inverness by Compass Hospitality

This was a great location and within walking distance of our tour meeting points.

Emplacement central

The food, bar, and location.

Location
Friendly staff

Bed was not the greatest - small and too soft. Bathroom was fine. Also we were in room 218 it hink - window opend onto back of resuarants - and early morning noiuce of people and glass being dumped etc, was unpleasant.

Hotel is super outdated. There were stains on the walls and sheets. The door to the room would rattle anytime anyone opened or closed a foot in the hallway. It was also dirty and dusty in general. Would not recommend to anyone trying to enjoy their stay.

I reserved a river view room- it was stunning. Nice comfortable chair and small table to sit by. Bathroom tiny but shower was good, heated towel rack was nice. I wish there had been a small fridge in the room but not a deal breaker. One plug by the bed, No USB ports anywhere. Staff absolutely lovely. I ate twice in McNabs the restaurant connected to the hotel. Food was good and nice selection available. Location was great. 3 minute walk to my tour pick up spot.

Well positioned

Our stay at the Columba Hotel was absolutely outstanding from beginning to end and genuinely one of the most enjoyable hotel experiences we have had in Scotland.

The first thing that strikes you is the incredible location. Sitting right beside the River Ness in the heart of Inverness, the hotel could not be better placed for exploring the city, restaurants, bars and surrounding Highlands. Waking up to views across the river was fantastic and immediately gave the whole trip a proper Highland atmosphere.

The hotel itself is full of traditional Scottish character and charm. Far too many modern hotels nowadays feel bland and forgettable, whereas the Columba has personality, warmth and history throughout the building. Yes, parts of the hotel show their age slightly, but honestly that only adds to the authentic feel and charm of the place.

Our room was exceptionally large, spotless and extremely comfortable, with plenty of space to relax after long days sightseeing. The bed was very comfortable and the room had everything we needed for a relaxing stay.

What truly made the experience special though was the staff. Every single member of the team we encountered was friendly, welcoming and incredibly hardworking. Even during busy periods, they remained professional, attentive and genuinely cared that guests were enjoying themselves. Hospitality is not an easy industry and the team at the Columba deserve enormous credit for the effort they put in every day.

The food was also excellent throughout our stay. Breakfast was fresh, plentiful and well organised, while dinner was tasty, comforting and exactly what you hope for from a traditional Highland hotel. The restaurant atmosphere in the evening overlooking the river was lovely.

What impressed us most overall was the atmosphere of the hotel. It felt warm, relaxed and genuinely welcoming rather than corporate or staged. You could see guests chatting happily, staff engaging with people properly and an overall feeling that the hotel actually cares about delivering a good experience.

We overheard a few guests complaining during our visit and honestly found it unfair. Some people expect ultra modern luxury while paying very reasonable rates for a historic Highland hotel full of character. If you appreciate charm, location, comfort and genuine hospitality, this hotel is an absolute gem.

We would return without hesitation and would highly recommend the Columba Hotel to anyone visiting Inverness who wants a proper Scottish Highland experience with fantastic staff, beautiful surroundings and real personality.

The hotel looks lovely from the outside old and right on the river Ness. It is across the river from the Inverness Castle. The view is spectacular, especially at night.
The rooms are very old and outdated
The bathroom is adequate however, the shower floor is so slippery that you have to put a towel down so it’s not to fall
The hot water is extremely hot and in the shower there’s no cold water so you were literally just rinsing off quickly so you don’t burn your skin
The windows are cracked and crumbling. There are plants growing on the windowsill outside.
The continental breakfast was most likely worth the 8 pounds that they charge.
The location of the town is perfect. You can walk to the town center. You can actually walk anywhere in this town.
The parking is down the street which is a public parking lot but easily accessed
I’m just not sure I would ever recommend it. It really does need some updating inside and out. They have a beautiful room overlooking the river upstairs that I guess used to be some kind of sitting room. It has two barber chairs in it not sure why you would want that.
Just seems to have been a bit neglected

Had great evenning stay here. Will showing friends from the States the true Scotland .

I really coulnt fault this place except i wish I stayed more than 1 night
Dinner was brillant. Staff was so friendly . The bar attender very helpful.

The Gentleman at the Restaraunt in the morning Cheeried me up loads. .Whilst i say waiting on the rest off.my party get up. Enjoyed Breakfast also

Location was excellent with easy access to other parts of Inverness. Staff was fantastic and very helpful.

We decided to buy an It is on Voucher for a 2 night stay in the hotel.
First impressions of the hotel is you can see it was once a lovely hotel but has not been maintained over the years as it is very dated. The jewellery display in the reception area is very 80s hotel style.
Reception staff were very helpful.

We had a double room which was actually 2 single beds of different heights pushed together (which was hilarious at night as you would end up in the middle of the bed)
Shower wasn't working so we had to use a shower in another room. Room was clean.

Breakfast was a traditional buffet style with hot and cold options. Which was absolutely fine.

Our evening meal in the bar was lovely. Bar area was quite cold. There was only one staff member serving behind the bar and he was serving food as well. He did really well and was very professional but it would have been easier on him if there was another staff member to help him.

There is a small car park nearby. Pay and display for overnight parking. If you take your car park ticket or a screenshot to the bar you get a free drink.

I booked this cple of days away with My hotel breaks which was a gd deal with dinner first night up to £25 and breakfast included both days
Check in. Room not ready till 3 pm we got told so went bk fir 3 pm to be told on floor 3 so we asked if a room availble lower to be told hotel full so knce in room could see the dust on furniture. Room was cold so switched on heater which then room got dusty and annoyed my chest. Kettle lid was broken. Asked for another pillow as only small thin ones on bed to discover no protectors on them. Colour of pillow was disgusting on one of them
Pillow cases snd sheets ok but only a hlf size thing of a mattress protector
Did speak to receptionist re these things when went dwn fir dinner. Kettle replaced and a pillow provided but dust still there
BREAKFAST both days were luke warm and hardly anything in the dishes. .
Worst hotel we have been in for years but at least we had a deal unlike the people across from us pd more for the one night and there room was awful as well
These rooms on the 3 rd floor need to be closed down
Checked out saturday am for girl at desk to say thats all and no mention how did stay go
Wont be back.
Bed wasnt even made for our second night

Hotel in dire need of major upgrades. We can only surmise that our room and the one opposite (other residents showed us their room with filthy heater that was unusable) are classed as unused awaiting upgrade when hotel inspectors arrive, as they definitely would not pass an inspection. Our window was so old and rotten that it was not level with its casing and only closed on left side, had to stuff the gaps on right with a hand towel. It was 2c the night we stayed. Requested carpet be vacuumed and later discovered that bedside cabinet had so much dust on it that I was able to write in it - presumably because it was at side hidden by propped open door so not touched by cleaning staff, for a number of weeks. Went to breakfast at 9am to find no fruit left, no eggs left and only member of staff on duty spent all his time chatting to American guests. To complete this awful overnight stay my husband was ill for 24 hours after eating breakfast.
I guess the clues were there, rooms available at last minute, gaffer tape holding carpet together in hall leading to lift and restaurant.
Stayed in this hotel 9 years ago and apparently it has had no investment on upgrading it since then. Inverness is very expensive during tourist season, but take my advice, if you can, pay the extra £50/£100 and stay in one of the many nice hotels, this is not the typical standard of Scottish hotels. We won’t be back.