Rocpool Reserve Luxury Highland Package

Lovely new make over of this town house hotel , great service and very comfortable rooms , night porter was excellent , great location for walking into town , high tea and spoons menu is a lovely touch , the hotel has been refurbished to a high standard and would highly recommend to tourists visiting Inverness

When I booked the hotel, I made sure the gent who took the call understood the night we would stay would be our wedding night. We booked the hotel as it is allegedly a 5 star hotel. A 5 star hotel, according to Which has these features, with relation to the staff and facilities. All staff demonstrate a positive attitude and willingness to help (1 star) Good guest service and staff should provide prompt, courteous and efficient service (3 star) Very good social skills and anticipation of individual guests' needs evident (4 star) Higher staffing levels (4 star) Staff should anticipate individual guests' needs to create unique and memorable experiences (5 star) We could not book the room with the hot tub, but, we plumped for the next room down, the decadent room. The image clearly shows a free standing bath and a very large walk in shower, and with this we booked the one night. When I arrived to check in, I was early, and the very nice lady gave me the paperwork and allowed me to sign up and leave my car in the car park. I asked about a potential upgrade and was told the hotel was full, so no chance of room movement. After we had had our wedding lunch in Inverness, we walked up to the hotel and checked into the room. There was no free standing bath, the walk in shower pressure was below average, no acknowledgement of our celebratory day or anything. But we had had a good meal and needed to rest after the day's exertions. The room overlooked the road, so we had to shut the windows. The aircon was operating well. Around 9pm, we decided to stretch our legs and go down to the bar and maybe get a sandwich. We witnessed one particularly trucculent female member of staff walk past us, not acknowledge us or even make space at the bar for us to sit. The lady behind the bar, I learned later, was the duty manager and she was making cocktails as the usual bar person was not in. I had to ask twice to get menus to order food from the trucculent one, but she ignored us and carried on filling drinks orders. The other member of staff couldnt actually serve drinks as she was only 16 We finally got our order placed and went to sit down. Now, I love the heat, having lived in the Sinai for 30 years, I enjoy the sensation, but the heating in the bar was oppressive. When our food turned up by the trucculent one, she plonked our plates down and walked off. My wife had ordered a salmon sandwich, which turned out pretty much as expected. I ordered a club sandwich. Mainly for the reason that this one was advertised with egg on it. A departure from a typical Club Sandwich and one of which I thought I would like What was presented to me was dripping in grease and the mayonnaise had made the bread all soggy and horrible. The egg had been fried in tainted oil and had a bitter after taste and had not been dabbed to remove the oil that was making the sandwich so un appealing. I had to leave half of it as the bread disintegrated and I was left with a gelatinous gooey mess

This was our 1st visit to Rocpool reserve unfortunately it will be our last. We booked for a bar meal and on arriving were virtually the only people in the bar despite being told we could only be fitted in at a certain time. We ordered wine and a meal with Charcuterie which we assumed would come as a starter. After at least40 mins our mains arrived I asked about our starter to be told it would be served alongside the main. I explained to the waiter I didn’t think this was right and asked for it to be taken away. On paying the Charcuterie was removed from the Bill, I payed in cash and was told there was no change available and they would have to raid the tip jar. A female who appeared to be the front of house manager approached us and I explained that I was not impressed by the service,(not the waiter) starter coming with main. To which she replied, you wouldn’t believe what some people ask for. I didn’t find her approach helpful or understanding and it was like she was trying to just bat me off. She said it must have been the way it was put through the till. A beautiful setting but what kitchen sends a sharing starter with a main. 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ do not mix this place up with the real Rocpool across the river.

We booked the ‘Extra Decadent Room’ at a cost of $797 Australian, breakfast included. This meant it had a verandah with a hot tub on it. The staff were so lovely and friendly. Exceptional. My husband said the omelette he had for breakfast was the best he has ever had. I do have concerns for people with mobility issues as they will find it difficult to get in and out of the shower (as it is in the bath and a big step down). Also, the internet did not work in our and this made it difficult to access emails about our trip home etc., and the air conditioner did not work. We were recommended this hotel and we can see how it has immense charm and service.

We had a great one-night stay at Rocpool. The room , as well as the bathroom was huge; large comfy bed. Excellent breakfast. Easy walk into the town centre. The staff were great, really helpful and very attentive.

The lack of welcome upon arrival, where we had to search the corridors to find a member of staff, was an early warning of the night to come. 30 minutes were spent at the bar, at which we were served 1 drink and mostly ignored…whilst being 1 of 2 couples present. After, we were shown through to our table, where we had to request further drinks (that didn’t arrive until the main course). The food was average at best for the city and certainly not worth the prices this places thinks it has the confidence to charge. For some reason we were served a tasteless loaf of bread between starter and main: which was best ignored. Considering that 2 waiting staff had 5 tables between them they were either new to the service industry or ill prepared: the result was the same. For desert the options were limited and the idea of further drinks or coffee was either forgotten or incomprehensible. The venue itself is tired and dated, with a distinct lack of atmosphere, in place of some music you’re most likely to spend an evening hearing the table adjacent chew their food. Overall, a venue clearly past its time and relying on a reputation it may once have had (?). But certainly not somewhere I would wish to spend a night in 2023

Booked the Rockpool reserve as a last minute stay and boy was it worth it. I've stayed in many 5 star hotels across the country and as you expect, great accommodation and food for the most part. The one thing that stood out for me above anything else and what generally makes my stay in a hotel feel special is the way we are made to feel. Sometimes the personal touch is lacking... sometimes you can be made to feel like its overdone and false kindness. Struan made us feel so comfortable and welcome. So naturally helpfully and relatable without having the false feeling sometimes attached to high end hotels. We only stayed one night but Struan was absolutely fantastic, such a genuine young man that made us feel so comfortable. Professional yet witty and extremely personable. Me and my wife both agree he is a special talent within hospitality as after all, being made to feel special with humility, class and a funny side when appropriate is hard to come by. Fantastic chap!

This is not a five star hotel despite it pushing the image on its website and advertising. The food and rooms are vastly overpriced. If it was rated 3 or 4 star maybe but expectations are not when it try’s to present as quality establishment.