Kirkwall is home to The Ayre Hotel. Scapa Distillery and Orkney Wine Company are worth checking out if an activity is on the agenda, while those looking for area attractions can visit The Pickaquoy Centre and Stromness Museum. Visit our Kirkwall travel guide
Ayre Road, Kirkwall, Scotland, KW15 1QX
What's nearby
St. Magnus Cathedral
6 min walk - 0.5 km
Earl's Palace
7 min walk - 0.7 km
Bishop's Palace
9 min walk - 0.8 km
Orkney Wireless Museum
1 min walk - 0.2 km
Orkney Museum
6 min walk - 0.5 km
Getting around
Kirkwall (KOI)
6 min drive
Restaurants
Movement Coffee
4 min walk
Lucano
8 min walk
The Storehouse
5 min walk
Archive Coffee
4 min walk
The Bothy Bar
3 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), an elevator, and smoke-free premises
A TV in the lobby, coffee/tea in the lobby, and luggage storage
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.
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 does it cost to stay at The Ayre Hotel?
As of 2026/10/23, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The Ayre Hotel on 2026/10/31 start from NT$2,768, excluding taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking?
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 steps from Peedie Sea and Orkney Wireless Museum. The Orkney Library & Archive and St. Magnus Cathedral are also within 10 minutes.
Can I cancel my reservation for free and receive a full refund?
Yes, this property offers free cancellation on select room rates, because flexibility matters! Please refer to the property cancellation policy on our site for more details about any exclusions or requirements.
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Reviews
The Ayre Hotel Reviews
8.6
Excellent
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travelers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.More informationOpens in a new window
Great breakfast, excellent restaurant and even better staff. Everyone from the warm reception (at 11:30 pm!) who stayed late so we could enjoy a night cap after a long travel day. Engaging all around! Would definitely stay again!
There was a pub/restaurant on-site, very convenient. It's small though, so don't forget to book ahead for dinner! Food was good. It's right across the street from the ferry, so no problem with transport. I liked it.
Very clean hotel, modern rooms, good elevator, excellent breakfast buffet.
Wifi could be a bit spotty, but that was all over Orkney at times, so outwith their control to some degree.
Very convenient location, just a short walk to the cathedral and high street.
I fell in love with Orkney and it was completely unexpected. I expected to like it just fine but I truly didn't want to leave. This hotel has comfortable rooms and a delicious restaurant that capped off our days of exploring.
Bar staff super friendly and helpful with tips on things to see and do, the other staff we dealt with were very friendly and helpful.
We had a budget room which was very spacious, king sized bed, tv and coffee making facilities. The bathroom was very clean and the towels were super soft.
The meals were a good size and very tasty.
Would happily stay here again.
Hotel was clean and comfortable. Right next to the main road and across the street from the harbor, but the noise wasn't an issue. Not a great many choices of bars/restaurants in Kirkwall, so having a bar and restaurant in the hotel was helpful. Restaurant is very nice, though you can order in the bar as well. Wifi didn't reach the bar or our room above the bar, but the lounge had good reception. Very walkable to shops, the cathedral, and the palace/castle.
This was our second stay in a matter of weeks and both were excellent. Friendly, welcoming, professional and efficient staff, a very nice room, and excellent food. I hope we will be back.
really friendly staff at the hotel, had excellent service and would be very happy to stay here again. Breakfast buffet was good and dinner in the restaurant was very enjoyable
Staff at the Ayre are very friendly and very helpful. We ate in the restaurant twice and had breakfast each morning - the food was excellent. If we have critisism it would be a lack of hanging hooks in the bedrooms - somewhere to hang your wet coat (because there weren't many hangers in the wardrobe) and hooks in the bathroom to hang your wet towels.
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
Verified review
6/10 Okay
Bree
2026/1/8
Liked: Cleanliness
The staff at the Ayre were wonderful: warm, friendly, helpful, attentive. The room was ok, nothing special. Menu in the restaurant/pub was ok, nothing special. We were there over the New Year, stayed for 7 days... Again, the staff were wonderful!