Hotels by budget

Best business hotels in Edinburgh under £160 a night

Six Edinburgh hotels that work for a business trip under £160 a night, near Haymarket, the New Town, Waverley and Edinburgh Park.

Updated 27 October 2026 · Researched from official and published sources

Edinburgh is a harder city to book on a budget than its size suggests. Tourism keeps rates high for much of the year, and August festival prices are in a different league. Outside the peaks, though, you can still find good, central rooms under £160 if you book ahead.

Most business visits land in one of three places: the financial district around Haymarket and the Exchange, the New Town offices near St Andrew Square, or the business parks at Edinburgh Park and South Gyle. We picked hotels for each. Prices below are Kayak snapshots for specific nights in early November 2026, and several hotels' recent weeknight averages ran above our ceiling, so check live rates and book early.

At a glance

#	Pick	Price guide
1	Best value hub by Premier Inn Edinburgh Haymarket	From £46 a night for Mon 2 Nov, Kayak listing, checked 27 Oct 2026
2	Best with breakfast Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End	From £81 a night for Tue 3 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £199, checked 27 Oct 2026
3	Best for the Exchange district Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge	From £89 a night for Tue 3 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £184, checked 27 Oct 2026
4	Best for the New Town Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh	From £92 a night for Tue 3 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £144, checked 27 Oct 2026
5	Best for Waverley station Motel One Edinburgh-Royal	From £94 a night for Fri 30 Oct; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £175, checked 27 Oct 2026
6	Best for Edinburgh Park and the airport Novotel Edinburgh Park	From £75 a night for Sun 1 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £150, checked 27 Oct 2026

Plan the budget

Our ceiling for Edinburgh is £160 a night. Meals: HMRC's tax-free benchmark is £25 for a 15-hour day.

Cost a Edinburgh trip

1 · Best value

hub by Premier Inn Edinburgh Haymarket

Torphichen Street, about 5 minutes' walk from Haymarket station and tram

A 150-room compact hotel close to Haymarket station, the tram to the airport and the financial district around the Exchange. Standard rooms are 11 sqm with a double bed, smart touchscreen controls and a slide-out desk. It is the cheapest reliable central option we found.

Close to Haymarket station and the airport tram
Lowest rates of our picks
Walk to the Exchange offices

Watch out: Rooms are small, and there is no car park.

From £46 a night for Mon 2 Nov, Kayak listing, checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

2 · Best with breakfast

Hampton by Hilton Edinburgh West End

166 Fountainbridge, near the Exchange financial district

Complimentary breakfast runs from 6am, which suits early starts, and casual dinner is served in the lounge each evening. It sits in Fountainbridge, a short walk from the offices around the Exchange and Haymarket. Secure parking is available for a daily fee.

Breakfast included
Evening meals on site
Secure parking available

Watch out: Midweek rates can go well over £160, so book early.

From £81 a night for Tue 3 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £199, checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

3 · Best for the Exchange district

Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge

2 Freer Gait, Fountainbridge, a short walk from Haymarket station

A Marriott hotel with a 24/7 bar, a 24/7 gym and a rooftop bar with castle views. Marriott Bonvoy members get free in-room Wi-Fi when they book direct. It is handy for the Exchange offices and Haymarket trains.

24/7 gym
Short walk to Haymarket
Rooftop bar for a team drink

Watch out: Breakfast is extra and there is no on-site parking.

From £89 a night for Tue 3 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £184, checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

4 · Best for the New Town

Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh

1–3 Baxter's Place, near Picardy Place tram stop, about 10 minutes' walk from Waverley

A four-star hotel at the top of Leith Walk, close to St Andrew Square and the New Town offices. It has meeting rooms, a business centre and the 1802 Grill for dinner. The tram from Picardy Place goes straight to the airport.

Walk to St Andrew Square
Tram to the airport
Meeting rooms on site

Watch out: Breakfast is charged separately.

From £92 a night for Tue 3 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £144, checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

5 · Best for Waverley station

Motel One Edinburgh-Royal

18–21 Market Street, Old Town, a short walk from Waverley

A design-led budget hotel on Market Street, steps from Waverley station and the Royal Mile. Rooms have a box-spring bed, rain shower and free Wi-Fi, and the One Lounge works for a coffee meeting. It suits travellers coming up on the East Coast line from London.

Very close to Waverley
Free Wi-Fi throughout
Central for the Old Town and New Town

Watch out: Rooms are compact and there is no room service; very popular, so rates climb quickly.

From £94 a night for Fri 30 Oct; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £175, checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

6 · Best for Edinburgh Park and the airport

Novotel Edinburgh Park

15 Lochside Avenue, Edinburgh Park, under 5 minutes' walk from the tram

A four-star hotel next to Edinburgh's main business parks, with the tram to the airport and city centre close by and Edinburgh Park rail station nearby. It has a pool, gym, sauna and meeting space for up to 180 people. A good pick for visits to the Gyle offices or an early flight.

Next to the business parks
Tram to the airport and city
Pool and gym

Watch out: Out of the city centre, so evenings in town mean a tram ride.

From £75 a night for Sun 1 Nov; Kayak's recent weeknight average was about £150, checked 27 Oct 2026Visit official site

Where to stay in Edinburgh for work

Edinburgh's business areas are spread out, so match the hotel to the meeting. The tram links the airport, Edinburgh Park, Haymarket, Princes Street and Picardy Place, which makes those areas easy to combine.

Haymarket and the Exchange: the financial district, with banks, asset managers and law firms, plus Haymarket station for Glasgow trains.
New Town and St Andrew Square: offices, smart restaurants and a short walk to Waverley.
Waverley and the Old Town: best for East Coast trains from London, Newcastle and York.
Edinburgh Park and South Gyle: business parks west of the city, close to the airport.
Fountainbridge: newer offices and hotels just south of the Exchange.

Booking tips for PAs and office managers

There is no HMRC nightly cap on UK hotel rooms. Our £160 ceiling is a guide budget, not a tax rule, so follow your company's own travel policy.

Edinburgh also has a visitor levy. Since 24 July 2026, stays booked on or after 1 October 2025 carry a 5% charge on the room cost before VAT, for up to five nights. Some hotels add it at check-out, so allow for it in the budget.

Book early: Edinburgh fills up for the August festivals, Hogmanay, rugby internationals at Murrayfield and big conferences. Avoid those dates if you can.
Flexible or non-refundable: non-refundable rates are cheaper but lock you in. Choose free cancellation for any meeting that is not confirmed.
Business rates: Premier Inn's free Business Booker account suits regular company bookings. Hilton, IHG, Marriott and Accor run corporate and small-business programmes, and member rates booked direct can be cheaper.
VAT invoices: UK hotel rooms carry 20% VAT. Ask for a full VAT invoice in your company's name so finance can reclaim it.
Breakfast: Hampton by Hilton includes it. Elsewhere it is usually extra, so compare the total cost of room plus breakfast.

What an Edinburgh trip costs beyond the room

Edinburgh has two costs the other UK cities in our guides don't: a percentage visitor levy and a festival season that changes the whole market in August.

Airport tram: trams run every 7 minutes in the day and every 10 minutes early and late, and the airport says the city-centre journey takes about 30 minutes. The first tram leaves the airport at 06:30 and the last at 22:52.
Visitor levy: 5% of the room cost before VAT, for up to five nights, on stays from 24 July 2026 booked on or after 1 October 2025.
August: the Fringe runs from 6 to 30 August 2027 and the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo from 6 to 28 August 2027, alongside the International Festival. If the work can move, move it.
Meals: HMRC's tax-free meal benchmarks are UK-wide, so they are the same in Scotland. Our UK meal allowances guide (linked under Sources) has the rates and rules.
Small extras: up to £5 a night of incidental overnight costs in the UK can be paid tax-free with nothing to report.

PA checklist for an Edinburgh booking

Edinburgh's business areas sit along the tram line, which helps. The catches are late flights, the levy and the festival calendar.

Book along the tram line where you can. Edinburgh Park Station, Gyle Centre, Haymarket and St Andrew Square are all on the airport line.
For a conference at the EICC (150 Morrison Street, in the Exchange), the Haymarket and Fountainbridge picks are the closest.
If the flight lands late, check the last tram (22:52 from the airport) and pre-book a taxi if the traveller will miss it.
Arriving by train: Waverley for East Coast services from London, Newcastle and York; Haymarket for trains from Glasgow and the west.
Check the dates against August festivals, Hogmanay and Murrayfield rugby internationals before you choose a non-refundable rate.
Ask whether the 5% visitor levy is in the quoted rate or added at check-out, and make sure it appears on the VAT invoice in the company name.
Add the traveller's loyalty number and mobile to the booking, and keep a duty-of-care note of who is staying where.

Questions people ask

What is the best area to stay in Edinburgh for business?

Haymarket and the Exchange suit most financial and legal meetings, and the New Town works for offices near St Andrew Square. For Edinburgh Park or an early flight, stay near the business parks on the tram line.

Does Edinburgh have a tourist tax on hotels?

Yes. The Edinburgh visitor levy is 5% of the room cost before VAT, for up to five nights. It applies to stays from 24 July 2026 that were booked on or after 1 October 2025.

How much is a business hotel in Edinburgh?

In our Kayak checks for early November 2026, our picks started from about £46 to £94 a night. Recent weeknight averages at several of them were £150 to £200, so book ahead to stay under £160.

When are Edinburgh hotels most expensive?

August is the peak, when the Fringe (6 to 30 August 2027), the Tattoo and the International Festival run. Hogmanay and Murrayfield rugby weekends also push rates up.

Which Edinburgh hotels are closest to the airport tram?

Novotel Edinburgh Park, hub by Premier Inn Haymarket and Courtyard by Marriott Edinburgh are all a short walk from tram stops with direct trams to the airport.

Is there an HMRC limit on what a company can spend on a hotel?

No. HMRC does not cap nightly room rates for business travel. Each company sets its own limit in its travel policy.

What is a business hotel?

A business hotel is one built around working travellers: a desk or work area in the room, reliable free Wi-Fi, an early breakfast, and a location close to offices, stations or a conference centre. Many also have meeting rooms and corporate rate programmes.

Which Edinburgh business hotel is closest to the airport?

Of our picks, Novotel Edinburgh Park is closest. Accor lists it 4 km from Edinburgh Airport, with direct access to the tram and trains and meeting space for up to 180 people.

How much can an employee claim for meals on an Edinburgh trip?

HMRC's benchmark rates apply across the UK, Scotland included: up to £5 for 5 hours away, £10 for 10 hours and £25 for 15 hours if still travelling at 8pm, with receipts kept. Your company can pay less. Our UK meal allowances guide explains who qualifies.

Business trip cost calculatorHotel, flights, meals and transfers for the 30 most common work destinations, checked against HMRC's day rates.HMRC day-rate (per diem) checkerThe tax-free meal and room allowance for UK and overseas trips, converted to pounds.