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The Ayre Hotel

3.0 star property
Hotel in Kirkwall with a restaurant and a bar

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Ayre Hotel

Exterior
Bar (on property)
Lobby
One Bedroom Apartment | Living room | TV
Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access
The Ayre Hotel, near local hotspots, offers a practical retreat with laundry services, a welcoming bar, and an on-site restaurant. Travelers enjoy in-room WiFi, lobby coffee/tea with TV, and luggage storage. Guests consistently praise the helpful staff.

Reviews

8.6 out of 10
Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Room service

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 8 of 8 rooms

View all photos for Standard Double Room, 1 Double Bed

Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access

Standard Double Room, 1 Double Bed

9.2 out of 10
Wonderful
(12 reviews)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
TV
19 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Daily housekeeping
  • 19 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Panoramic Double or Twin Room, Sea View

Panoramic Double or Twin Room, Sea View | View from room

Panoramic Double or Twin Room, Sea View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(2 reviews)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
TV
10 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Daily housekeeping
  • 10 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Standard Double or Twin Room

Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access

Standard Double or Twin Room

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
TV
13 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Daily housekeeping
  • 13 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Panoramic Double Room, 1 Double Bed, Sea View

Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access

Panoramic Double Room, 1 Double Bed, Sea View

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
TV
10 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Daily housekeeping
  • 10 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Budget Double Room

Budget Double Room | Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access

Budget Double Room

8.4 out of 10
Very good
(8 reviews)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
TV
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for One Bedroom Apartment

One Bedroom Apartment | Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access

One Bedroom Apartment

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(4 reviews)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
Refrigerator
TV
Private bathroom
Microwave
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Family Room

Family Room | Soundproofing, free WiFi, bed sheets, wheelchair access

Family Room

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
TV
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Daily housekeeping
Desk
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for Apartment, 2 Bedrooms

Apartment, 2 Bedrooms | Living area | TV

Apartment, 2 Bedrooms

Highlights

Soundproofed
Heating
Refrigerator
TV
2 bedrooms
Private bathroom
Microwave
Coffee/tea maker
  • 2 bedrooms
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 2 Twin Beds

About the neighborhood

Map
Ayre Road, Kirkwall, Scotland, KW15 1QX

What's nearby

  • Orkney Museum - 6 min walk - 0.3 miles
  • St. Magnus Cathedral - 6 min walk - 0.3 miles
  • Earl's Palace - 7 min walk - 0.4 miles
  • Bishop's Palace - 9 min walk - 0.5 miles
  • Highland Park Distillery - 3 min drive - 1.6 miles

Getting around

  • Kirkwall (KOI) - 6 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Ayre Restaurant - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Skipper's - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪The Storehouse - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Auld Motor Hoose - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Trenabies Cafe Bistro - ‬4 min walk

About this property

The Ayre Hotel

Property highlights
At The Ayre Hotel, you can look forward to laundry facilities, a bar, and a restaurant. Guests can connect to free in-room WiFi.
You'll also find perks like:
  • Free self parking
  • Buffet breakfast (surcharge), coffee/tea in the lobby, and an elevator
  • A TV in the lobby, luggage storage, and smoke-free premises
  • Guest reviews speak highly of the helpful staff
Room features
All 51 rooms have amenities such as free WiFi, sound-insulated walls, and room service.
Other amenities include:
  • Bathrooms with tubs or showers
  • Electric kettles, heating, and daily housekeeping

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Albert Hotel

  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant
  • Breakfast available
  • Business services
9.0 out of 10, Wonderful, 264 reviews
Albert Hotel

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Daily buffet breakfast available 6:30 AM to 9:30 AM for a fee: GBP 15 for adults and GBP 15 for children
  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant
  • Coffee and tea in common areas

Things to do

  • TV in common areas

Family friendly

  • Laundry facilities
  • Soundproofed rooms

Conveniences

  • Laundry facilities
  • Limited-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Elevator
  • Wheelchair accessibility
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)

More

  • Smoking not allowed

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Bathtub or shower
  • Private bathroom
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • TV

Food and drink

  • Coffee/tea maker
  • Electric kettle
  • Room service

More

  • Heating
  • Phone
  • Soundproofed rooms

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: midnight
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open daily from 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Front desk staffed during limited hours
This property doesn't offer after-hours check-in

Access methods

Front desk (limited hours)

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of GBP 25.00 per pet, per stay
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Fee for buffet breakfast: approximately GBP 15 for adults and GBP 15 for children
  • Pet fee: GBP 25.00 per pet, per stay
  • Service animals are exempt from fees

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available

We should mention

Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms

National rating

This establishment has received its official star rating from VisitScotland, the National Tourist Board for Scotland.

Property is also known as

Ayre Hotel Kirkwall
Ayre Kirkwall
Ayre Hotel
The Ayre Hotel Hotel
The Ayre Hotel Kirkwall
The Ayre Hotel Hotel Kirkwall

Frequently asked questions

Is The Ayre Hotel pet-friendly?

Yes, dogs are allowed at this property. There's a fee of GBP 25.00 per pet, per stay. Service animals are exempt from fees.

How much is parking at The Ayre Hotel?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at The Ayre Hotel?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: midnight. After-hours check-in is not available.

What time is check-out at The Ayre Hotel?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM.

Where is The Ayre Hotel located?

Situated in Kirkwall, this hotel is within a 10-minute walk of Orkney Wireless Museum, St. Magnus Cathedral, and Orkney Museum. Earl's Palace and Bishop's Palace are also within 10 minutes.

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The Ayre Hotel Reviews

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 109 out of 217 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 74 out of 217 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 20 out of 217 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 217 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 5 out of 217 reviews

9.2/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Jeff

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location, a brief walk to town. We had a one bedroom suite with a kitchen. It was very clean and quiet. Would definitely stay here again. Orkney was great, every one was friendly and helpful.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2025

8/10 Good

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Liked the staff and the quietness
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Alexander

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff friendly and efficient.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great location

This hotel is convenient for seeing the sights of Kirkwall. Rooms are charming and comfortable. Breakfast has a good variety of choices.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Daniel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Lovely stay on the Harbourfront

Very central hotel overlooking the harbour a close walk to the main street and all the sights in town. The restaurant & bar area were great and rooms were quite comfortable. Staff were very friendly :) The only downside was the unusually hot summer weather made the rooms quite hot and stuffy.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Caj

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Excellent apartment accommodation
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

David

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was very accommodating to our visit to Orkney.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Pauline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Outside looks a little tired from front but inside very nice. Lovely welcome. Staff made sure I was ok as I have mobility issues. Lift easy to use and spacious. definitely recommend the jug
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sarankumar

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really pleasant atmosphere and people at hotel. Really the best stay experience that I ever had. Really good team of professionals catering up to your needs. Would definitely recommend them to friends and family for a stay when in Orkney.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Location on the harbor was great, although a little noisy at night with traffic.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2025

8/10 Good

Iain

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great place to stay

Good location super clean helpful staff
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Convenient for the late night ferry arrival. Budget double room clean and comfortable but over-priced. Dinner in the restaurant was excellent.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Ed

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely hotel in a wonderful city
Stayed 10 nights in Aug 2024

6/10 Okay

Charlotte

Nice view ! But service medium
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Susan

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Lovely stay is spacious accommodation. Very friendly staff and excellent restaurant.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Haidee

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Only problem is that the toilet in our room was poor at flushing. That was a bit unfortunate. The lounge area, the staff, the food was absolutely great. Such lovely people.
Stayed 2 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Donald

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Well placed to enjoy Kirkwall!

The Ayr Hotel is well placed in Kirkwall, close to the main ferry terminal, the bus station, and the main shopping street. We stayed in a detached block across the street with 12 apartments. Ours had a comfortable bedroom, good bathroom and a large sitting room with comfortable sofas. The kitchenette had a fridge, a hob and a microwave. . The restaurant was in the main building. Food was always quickly served and delicious.
Stayed 5 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Comprehensive service, very pleasant staff-just a very enjoyable few days
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

8/10 Good

Raymond

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Clean friendly safe enjoyyvisit
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Derek

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Fine hotel in Kirkwall

Tje hotel is a great location for the ferry terminal to the other islands and also jas free on street parking. The room was fresh and clean and they were in the process of replacing carpets when I was there. The food was excellent and good value. The staff were friendly and helpful.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2024

4/10 Poor

David

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Dont bother with this place unless you really need the feel of Motel 6. The Albert is but, much better hotel.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Clean- friendly
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Margaret

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

5 night visit to Orkney

Great location, great staff and excellent food. Double room a good size. Only thing wrong was we were facing a brick wall, on hindsight I should have noticed you could upgrade to a sea view, which I wish we had
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Alison

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service

Expensive but good location

Room was nice with clean bedding and overall hotel was very nice . Doors were noisy as no soft closers . Dining at dinner was very slow and inconsistent and took an hour for us to get our dinner served and it was lukewarm on service . Maybe kitchen is understaffed as dining staff seemed to be plentiful but not particularly organised. We had to ask twice for one of the party’s ice cream dessert and the rest of our group were finished theirs before it arrived. When we arrived receptionist seemed initially to not find our booking! No view for the extortionate price . Maybe we would have got a better view if we had been staying longer
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is under reconstruction at the moment. but the hotel staff are excellent
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

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