A welcoming hotel, but serious concerns about disabled guest evacuation
My wife and I stayed at The Resident Edinburgh in July 2026. The hotel was excellent and the staff friendly. However, the evacuation arrangements did not provide a safe way for me to leave the second floor, as I could not independently use the stairs.
During an evacuation on 18 July, we followed Reception’s instruction to wait at the refuge point. The call button registered our call, but nobody answered. After approximately 20 minutes without contact, my wife went downstairs during the ongoing alarm to find out what was happening, leaving me waiting at the refuge. She was told they were waiting for the fire brigade. About 10 minutes later, a member of staff arrived with an evacuation chair.
He struggled even to move me to the stairs, sweating heavily from the strain. At the first step of the steep, narrow staircase, with prominent step nosings, he struggled to control the chair and tilted it sharply. I repeatedly said, “This is not safe,” and grabbed the handrails. My wife stood below me, trying to stop me falling forward. I feared serious injury to us both.
He eventually agreed he could not safely continue and returned me to the refuge. I was not evacuated downstairs. We were left waiting again until the alarm stopped and were told we could return to our room. The manager later explained that smoke from a guest’s electrical equipment had triggered the alarm, rather than a fire.
I felt sorry for the staff member, who was clearly struggling. My concern is that only one staff member attended to attempt my evacuation, and he could not safely complete it. Having an evacuation chair available did not provide a safe, workable means of escape for me.
The hotel refunded our four-night stay, which I appreciated, but my safety concerns remained.
My complaint reached the CEO of The Sirius Hotel Group on 23 July. At his request, we met via Microsoft Teams on 30 July 2026. My understanding was that the evacuation procedure would be revised and I would receive a copy.
After several weeks, I followed up on 6 September. On 8 September, the CEO promised a fuller response the following morning. When nothing arrived over the next few days, I lost confidence that he would follow through. As of 20 October 2026, I have received neither the promised response nor a copy of the revised procedure.
I therefore escalated my complaint to City of Edinburgh Council. On 17 September, its Environmental Health Officer referred my complaint, with my permission, to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Edinburgh Fire Safety Enforcement Team. I cannot report any findings or outcome from that referral.
The incident has had a lasting effect on my wellbeing, and I have paid for private counselling to help with its emotional impact.
The hotel has much to offer, and I hope these concerns lead to meaningful improvements. Based on my experience, I encourage anyone needing evacuation assistance to ask how their individual needs would be met before booking. A comfortable, welcoming stay should come with confidence that there is a safe way out.