Booking stays for colleagues is usually one job among many. Here's how to make it quick: what to send us, how invoicing works, how to keep your finance team happy, and what your staff can expect when they arrive.
Company accommodation in Edinburgh: how a booking works, step by step
Most company bookings follow the same simple path. Knowing it in advance helps you plan, and helps you answer the questions your colleagues will ask.
- You send the request. Dates, who's coming, where they'll be working, and anything they need. The form above is the quickest way, or contact the team by phone, WhatsApp or email.
- We send the options. Within one working day, we reply with the homes that fit, with photos, prices for your dates and how far each is from the office or site.
- You confirm. Pick the home, or homes, and give us the billing details: company name, billing contact and any purchase order number.
- We check the guests. Every guest's ID is checked before an access code is sent. If you're booking for someone else, we'll need their details too.
- Your colleague arrives. They get clear arrival instructions and a code on the day, and can let themselves in whatever time their train or flight lands.
- We invoice the company. One invoice, with the booking details your finance team needs.
You stay the main contact throughout, unless you'd rather we speak to the person staying about day-to-day things. Tell us which you prefer. If it's your first time booking with us, you're welcome to call the team on +44 (0)131 560 6614 and talk through the visit before anything is confirmed. For crews and site teams, our page on contractor accommodation covers parking, vans and shift work in more detail.
Invoicing, purchase orders and what your finance team will need
The part of company travel that usually takes longest isn't the booking. It's the paperwork afterwards. We try to make that part easy.
What to give us when you book
- The legal company name we should invoice.
- A billing contact, usually someone in finance or accounts, with an email address.
- A purchase order or cost centre number, if your company uses them.
- The names of the people staying, and their dates.
- Anything else your company asks to see on an invoice, such as a project code.
What the invoice shows
The invoice carries the booking details your finance team needs: the home, the dates, the guests and the cost. The 5% Edinburgh Visitor Levy is shown on the invoice, so it's clear what it is. Nobody has to put a stay on a personal card and claim it back later.
A few tips from experience
- If a booking might change, tell us the likely range of dates when you first ask. It's easier to plan around than a late surprise.
- If several teams or budgets are involved, tell us how you'd like the invoices split before you book.
- Keep one person as the booking contact, even if several people are staying.
If you have questions about who we are before you set up a regular arrangement, our about page introduces the team and how we work. We're a local company based in Edinburgh.
Matching homes to your team: beds, desks and the right area
A good company booking starts with the right home. The questions below help us suggest homes your colleagues will be happy in, rather than ones that just have enough beds.
Who's sharing, and how
Colleagues who know each other well may be happy sharing a larger home. Others will want their own space. Tell us whether people need separate bedrooms, and whether single beds or doubles suit. Every home has a guest limit set by its licence, so we'll always book within it.
Working from the home
If someone will be working from the home rather than an office, ask for a desk and fast wifi. Not every home has a proper desk, and we'll tell you which do. If video calls are a big part of the job, say so and we'll check.
Where they'll be working
Edinburgh is compact, but where you stay changes the daily journey. For example:
- For offices in the Exchange district or near Haymarket station, look at Haymarket and Dalry or Tollcross and the West End.
- For the hospitals, the university and the south side, Southside and Newington is often a good fit.
- For work around the port and the waterfront, Leith keeps the commute short.
We won't promise a home on a particular street. Send us the office or site postcode, and we'll tell you honestly what we have nearby. For individual colleagues on longer placements, our page for visiting professionals may also help.
Duty of care: licensed homes and safety checks
When you book accommodation for staff, you want to know it's somewhere safe. It's worth knowing what stands behind each home we let.
Every home is licensed
Every short let in Scotland has needed a licence since 1 October 2023. Every home we let holds one, and the licence number is on the listing. You can check it, and you can keep it on file with your booking.
What a licence asks for
To be licensed, a home has to meet safety standards. These include gas safety checks, electrical checks, fire safety measures and working alarms, and the right insurance. Our page on licence requirements sets out the list in plain words, and our licensing overview explains how the system works in Edinburgh.
Between every stay
- Homes are cleaned and checked between stays.
- Fresh linen and towels for every arrival.
- Guest ID is checked before an access code is sent.
During the stay
Your colleagues can message our team from 9am to midnight every day. There's an emergency line 24/7 for urgent problems such as a lockout, no heating or no hot water. One number covers every booking, so they don't need to work out who to call.
If your company has its own travel or safety policy, tell us what it asks for. We'll tell you honestly whether a home meets it.
Booking several homes for a visiting team
Some visits need more beds than one home can hold, or need colleagues to have their own space. In that case, we book several homes and keep everything in one place for you.
How we handle a group booking
- One contact. One person at Stays In looks after every home on the booking, from the first request to the last check-out.
- Homes close together. Where possible, we suggest homes near each other, so the team can travel together or meet for dinner.
- One invoice. Several homes on one invoice. If you need it split by team or budget, tell us before you book.
- Staggered arrivals. If people arrive on different days, each gets their own arrival instructions.
When plans change
Projects move. If dates shift or someone drops out, tell us as early as you can. We'll check what's possible and tell you clearly what changes to the booking and the invoice.
Teams coming for events
If your visit overlaps a big event, homes fill early. Rugby weekends at Murrayfield, the Fringe in August and Hogmanay are the busiest. Our page on accommodation near Murrayfield lists the 2027 Six Nations dates. Companies bringing performers or crew to the festival will find our page on Fringe accommodation useful.
If you're arranging a visit for a team that comes back regularly, tell us. We'll keep a note of what worked, so the next booking is quicker.
The Visitor Levy on company stays, and planning around the calendar
Two things affect the cost of a company stay more than anything else: when you book, and how long people stay.
The Edinburgh Visitor Levy
Stays in the City of Edinburgh include a 5% Visitor Levy on the accommodation price. It applies to the first five nights of each stay. Nights six onwards don't carry it. It applies to stays from 24 July 2026. Business trips aren't exempt: the council is clear that stays for work are liable. Guests who receive certain disability benefits can claim a refund from the council once the stay has ended.
- A three-night visit pays the levy on all three nights.
- A four-week placement pays it on five nights only.
- Homes in East Lothian don't carry the Edinburgh levy.
The levy is shown on the invoice. For the full rules, see our Visitor Levy explainer.
When to book
Outside August and the big events, there's more choice and better prices. Winter, spring and autumn are good times for training, projects and placements. If you have a choice of dates, avoiding the Fringe, Hogmanay and Six Nations weekends usually helps.
Longer stays
For longer stays and repeat bookings, ask us about weekly pricing. We'll send a price for your exact dates, rather than a rate on a page that may not match what you need. We look after stays of a few nights to a few weeks, not longer tenancies.
Wondering what other guests have said? Our reviews page collects them from Airbnb, Booking.com and Google.
Making the stay easy for your colleagues
The person staying should have nothing to organise. A few small things, shared before they travel, make that happen.
What to tell them before they go
- The address and the area, so they can plan the journey to work.
- That they'll get arrival instructions and a code on the day.
- That we'll need their ID before the code is sent.
- Our number for anything they need during the stay.
Living like a local for a few weeks
A whole home means a kitchen, a washing machine and somewhere to sit at the end of the day. For a colleague on a longer project, that's often the difference between a stay that wears them down and one they enjoy. Edinburgh helps too: a walk along the Water of Leith, a Sunday on Arthur's Seat, a lunch in Leith.
House rules, briefly
Many homes are tenement flats on shared stairs. Quiet hours start at 10pm, there are no parties, and only the people on the booking stay over. Our page for neighbours explains why that matters.
Extending or leaving early
If a colleague needs a few more nights, or has to leave early, ask us. Early check-in and late check-out are sometimes possible when the calendar allows, and can be requested up to 24 hours before.
Own a flat in Edinburgh yourself? Our page for owners explains how we look after homes like the ones your team stays in.
Arranging a home for a household moved out by an insurance claim? See insurance accommodation in Edinburgh.
Also see Fringe accommodation for performers and companies if your team is in town for August.
Message us on WhatsApp on +44 7898 116933, or get in touch. We reply 9am to midnight, and the emergency line is there 24/7.