Not a member?
Register and login now.

Issue 1 - Scotland's finest city hotels

Scotland Magazine Issue 1
March 2002

This article is 11 years old and some information provided may be time sensitive. Please check all details of events, tours, opening times and other information before travelling or making arrangements.

Scotland's finest city hotels

Smoe of Britain's finest hotels can be found in Scotland - and not just golf resorts. We round up the best in Scotland's city centre hotels

Edinburgh
It was Thomas Jefferson, America’s third president, who said of Scotland’s capital it was a city "that no place in the world can pretend to compete with." Not a great deal has changed since then. Much as it did in the late 18th century, the Old Town continues to run along a spine of rock while the New Town sprawls north towards the Firth of Forth. In the heart of this World Heritage Site, however, is a modern, commercial centre coupled with exciting visitor attractions.

With the arrival of Scotland’s own legislative assembly in 1999, Edinburgh was gripped with a reawakened sense of self confidence. Add to his an innovative programme of all-year-round festivals, and you soon discover that there is no shortage of first-rate visitor accommodation.

The joy of staying in Edinburgh’s city centre is that there is first rate shopping, a superb choice of restaurants, and all the major visitor attractions are within reasonable walking distance.

The Balmoral Hotel
1 Princes Street EH2 2EQ
Tel: +44 (0) 131 556 2414
Fax: +44 (0) 131 557 3747
Website: www.thebalmoralhotel.com
Email: reservations@thebalmoralhotel.com
This Edwardian-style former station hotel dominates the skyline of the city’s East End. Many of the 186 bedrooms provide spectacular views over the castle, north towards the Firth of Forth and Fife, or east towards Arthur’s Seat and Holyrood Park. The health club features the largest swimming pool in the city centre, there are two excellent restaurants – Hadrian’s and Number One – and there is a gymnasium with sauna.
Guests can enjoy light refreshments and tea in the elegant Palm Court.
RATING: *****

The Caledonian Hilton
Princes Street EH1 2AB
Tel: +44 (0) 131 222 8888
Fax: +44 (0) 131 222 8889
Website: www.hilton.com
Email: ednchhirm@hilton.com
Opened in 1903, this is one of Edinburgh’s landmarks, overlooking Edinburgh Castle from the West End. With its grand interiors, there are 249
bedrooms and there is a choice of three excellent restaurants. The health club features a leisure pool and multigym. Beauty rooms provide saunas and a steam room, and there is a range of conference rooms to accommodate from five to 200 delegates.
RATING: *****

Scotsman Hotel
20 North Bridge, EH1 1YT
Tel: +44 (0) 131 556 5565
Fax: +44 (0) 131 652 3652
Website: thescotsmanhotel.co.uk
Email: reservations@thescotsmanhotel.co.uk
A great rabbit warren of a building, this former headquarters of The Scotsman newspaper, has been cleverly converted. Situated at the east end of the city centre, there are 68 stylish bedrooms. Suites are named after previous Scotsman editors, directors and publishers, and are attractively individualised with the use of Scottish estate tweeds. The luxury Baron Suite is on two floors, there are two excellent restaurants, and a magnificent leisure club with elegant stainless steel swimming pool.
RATING: *****

The Howard
34 Great King Street EH3 6QH
Tel: +44 (0) 131 557 3500
Fax: +44 (0) 131 332 9631
Website: www.thehoward.com
Email: reserve@thehoward.com
Three stylish Georgian town houses provide the accommodation for this luxurious home-away-from-home, which has 15 bedrooms. Situated in the New Town, a short walk from Princes Street, it provides a quieter, more intimate ambience than the larger city establishments.
RATING: *****

The Sheraton Grand
Festival Square, Lothian Road
EH3 9SR
Tel: +44 (0) 131 229 9131
Fax: +44 (0) 131 228 4510
Website: www.sheraton.com
Email: grandedinburgh.sheraton@sheraton.com
Situated in the West End, all of the comforts of an international hotel are available in this comfortable modern building. The 260 bedrooms are consistently spacious employing a warm, contemporary Scottish style of decor. A recent addition is a unique urban spa.
RATING: *****

The Carlton Hotel
19 North Bridge EH1 1SD
Tel: +44 (0) 131 472 3000
Fax: +44 (0) 131 556 2691
Website: www.paramounthotels.co.uk
Email: carlton@paramounthotels.co.uk
Owners The Paramount Group have invested substantially in a radical three-stage modernisation of this spacious hotel, retaining its friendly and welcoming character. There are 189 bedrooms, several with fine views over towards the eastern side of the city. The location is within minutes of both prime shopping areas of Princes Street and the High Street.
RATING: *****

The Holiday Inn
Crowne Plaza
80 High Street EH1 1TH
Tel:+44 (0) 131 557 9797
Fax: +44 (0) 131 557 9789
Website: www.crowneplazaed.co.uk
Email: rescpedinburgh@allianceuk.com
Situated on the historic Royal Mile, halfway between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, every visitor attraction is within walking distance. A modern building designed to fit in with the medieval buildings that surround it, the accommodation includes 238 ensuite bedrooms, a restaurant, lounge, bar and a fully equipped leisure club with jet stream pool, sauna, solarium and treatment rooms. Undercover parking for 135 vehicles.
RATING: *****

The George
Inter-Continental
19 George Street EH2 2PB
Tel: +44 (0) 131 225 1251
Fax: +44 (0) 131 226 5644
Website: www.interconti.com
Email: edinburgh@interconti.com
Centrally located in Edinburgh's New Town, close to Princes Street and the main shopping areas. There are 195 bedrooms in this 18th century building originally designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam. There is the Chambertin Restaurant and a carvery.
RATING: *****

The Roxburghe Hotel
38 Charlotte Square EH2 4HG
Tel: +44 (0) 131 240 5500
Fax: +44 (0) 131 240 5555
Website: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk
Email: roxburghe@csmm.co.uk
Centrally positioned in one of the city's grandest Georgian squares, this popular West End hotel has been extensively refurbished and has 197 bedrooms with spacious function facilities. The Melrose Restaurant is a great favourite for family entertaining.
RATING: *****

The Bonham
35 Drumsheugh Gardens EH3 7RN
Tel: +44 (0) 131 226 6050
Fax: +44 (0) 131 332 9631
Website: www.thebonham.com
Email: reserve@thebonham.com
A stylish, quiet hotel in the heart of the West End. All the rooms are decorated individually with contemporary furnishings and paintings. There are 48 bedrooms, and a stylish, eclectically contemporary restaurant.
RATING: ****

MacDonald's Holyrood
Hotel
Holyrood Road EH8 6AE
Tel: +44 (0) 131 550 4500
Fax: +44 (0) 131 550 4545
Website: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk
Email: enquiries@macdonaldhotels.co.uk
Located next to the Scottish Parliament building, currently under construction, there are 157 bedrooms in this landmark building in close proximity to Holyrood Palace, William Younger's Dynamic Earth and Holyrood Park. Flints Restaurant serves a fusion of Scots and international cuisine.
RATING: *****

The Point
34 Bread Street EH3 9AS
Tel: +44 (0) 131 221 5555
Fax: +44 (0) 131 221 9929
Website: www.point-hotel.co.uk
Email: sales@point-hotel.co.uk
Featured on the cover of international design magazines, this site used to be a co-operative department store, but it has been imaginatively transformed with an imposing mix of space and colour. There are 140 bedrooms, and suites come with side-lit jacuzzis. The cafe-bar Monboddo is an enjoyable extra feature.
RATING: *****

Glasgow
There was a settlement in Glasgow as early as 543AD when St Kentigern, also known at St Mungo, arrived in Glas cu, which is interpreted as meaning ‘the dear green place.’ However, it was during the 18th and 19th centuries that Glasgow came into its own as the Second City of the Empire. As trade links from the River Clyde prospered, the cotton industry boomed and between 1870 and 1914, Glasgow ranked as one of the richest and finest cities in Europe. Great public buildings, museums, galleries and libraries were designed by great architects such as Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. In addition, Glasgow has more parks and open spaces than any other European city its size.

Today Scotland’s largest city has it all: superb shops and excellent business, cultural and tourist facilities which led to the European City of Culture title in 1990 and UK City of Architecture and Design in 1999.

Glasgow Hilton
1 William Street G3 8HT
Tel: +44 (0) 141 204 5555
Fax: +44 (0) 141 204 5004
Website: www.hilton.com
Email: fomglasgow@hilton.com
Renowned for good service, there are 319 bedrooms in this spacious hotel which has a vast atrium and is located just off the M8 via a slip road from the city centre. Contained within are Cameron's Restaurant, specialising in Scottish fare, Minsky's New York Brasserie, and Raffles theme bar. The leisure club provides a stylish sauna, swimming pool and exercise room.
RATING: *****

One Devonshire
Gardens
off Great Western Road, G12 0UX
Tel: +44 (0) 141 339 2001
Fax: +44 (0) 141 337 1663
Email: onedevonshire@btconnect.co.uk
The ultimate in opulent bedroom accommodation, specifically kitted out for the business traveller, continues to make this popular hotel a delight to stay in. Three separate houses were brought together in a leafy Victorian terrace a short distance from the West End. There are 27 highly individual bedrooms, and the drawing rooms are colourful and stylish. The building also contains the Amaryllis restaurant, operated by award-winning chef Gordon Ramsay.
RATING: *****

The Glasgow Moat
House
Congress Road, G3 8QT
Tel: +44 (0) 141 306 9988
Fax: +44 (0) 141 221 2022
Website: www.moathousehotels.com
Email: cbgla@queensmoat.co.uk
Adjacent to the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on the River Clyde, there are 282 bedrooms in this towering glass building. About 3km from the actual city centre, you are really very close. The SECC is near but not too close for comfort.
RATING: *****

The Marriott
500 Argyll Street G38 RR
Tel: +44 (0) 141 226 5577
Fax: +44 (0) 141 221 9202
Web Site: www.marriotthotels.co.uk
Email: reservations.glasgow@marriotthotels.co.uk
Close by the motorway, but you don't hear the traffic. There are 298 bedrooms in this modern, comfortable hotel which also features a spacious and well-equipped leisure club.
RATING: *****

The Arthouse Hotel
129 Bath Street G2 2SY
Tel: +44 (0) 141 221 6789
Fax: +44 (0) 141 221 6777
Website: www.arthousehotel.com
Email: info@arthousehotel.com
This is a smart townhouse hotel with imaginatively styled interiors, located close to the Sauchiehall Centre and Glasgow concert and theatre life. There are 68 bedrooms, many with interesting views over the city. There is a bar and excellent grill restaurant on the basement floor.
RATING: *****

The Millennium Hotel
50 George Square G2 1DS
Tel: +44 (0) 141 332 6711
Fax: +44(0) 141 332 4264
Website: www.mill-cop.com
Email: sales.glasgow@mill-cop.com
Extensively refitted and re-branded in 2000, this Victorian building is situated in the heart of the Merchant City, next to Queen Street Station and adjacent to Glagow's City Chambers. There are 117 bedrooms, and guests are able to enjoy the terraced conservatory restaurant, The Brasserie in George Square, from which they can watch the people of Glasgow pass by outside. In the evenings there is a choice of either the
Millennium Lounge or the La Mirage Bar.
RATING: *****

Aberdeen
Scotland’s third-largest city owes its status to being the principal industrial centre of northern Scotland and being Scotland’s largest fishing port. Situated on the North Sea at the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don, Aberdeen is known as the Granite City because many of its finest buildings were built using this local stone. With the discovery of oil off its coastal waters during the 1970s, Aberdeen has enjoyed a period of considerable prosperity as Scotland’s oil capital.

Away from the busy centre, however, the surrounding countryside is easy to explore. There are fine, sandy beaches and jagged cliffs along the coast, heather-clad moors inland, and to the south and west, the high Grampian and Cairngorm mountains.

Marcliffe of Pitfodels
North Deeside Road AB15 9YA
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 861 000
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 868 860
Website: www.marcliffe.com
Email: info@marcliffe.com
This is a family hotel proud of its atmosphere of warmth ease and charm. Set amid mature trees in eight acres of wooded grounds, it feels as if you are in the country even though you are close to the centre of Aberdeen. The hotel was opened by former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev when he stayed here in 1993. Since then it has played host to countless celebrities who have been able to relax in the elegant surroundings. The Cromarty Brasserie is open from 7am to 10pm every day. There is an informal Dornoch Bar for snacks.
RATING: *****

Caledonian Thistle
Hotel
Union Terrace AB10 1WE
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 640 233
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 641 627
Website: www.thistlehotels.com/thistle_aberdeen_caledonian/
Email: aberdeencaledonian@thistle.co.uk
Centrally located overlooking Union Terrace Gardens, and just a 2 minute walk from the railway station, this stylish 80-bedroom hotel has a well-earned reputation for good food and warm Scottish hospitality.
RATING: ****

Atholl Hotel
45 King∝fs Gate AB15 4YN
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 323 505
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 321 555
Website: www.athollaberdeen.co.uk
Email: info@atholl-aberdeen.co.uk
Located on King's Gate with easy access to Aberdeen Airport, the city centre railway station, and for visiting the industrial and commercial areas. Its distinctive neo-Gothic architecture features the sparkling granite which has made Aberdeen famous. A recent and ongoing upgrading programme has created a pleasing blend of contemporary and classical styles.
RATING: ****

The Patio Hotel
Beach Boulevard AB24 5EF
Tel: + 44 (0) 1224 633 339
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 638 833
Website: www.patiohotels.com
Email: patioab@globalnet.co.uk
Located half a mile from the heart of the Granite City, the airport, railway station, major rail links, ferry port, sea front and the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre are equally accessible. Built in 1996, the Patio Hotel, with 94 standard rooms and 34 premier club rooms, provides the most modern facilities with swimming pool and leisure club.
RATING: ****

Craiglynn Hotel
36 Fonthill Road AB11 6UJ
Tel: +44 (0) 1224 584 050
Fax: +44 (0) 1224 212 225
Website: www.craiglynn.co.uk
Email: info@craiglynn.co.uk
A traditional granite-built townhouse in a quiet residential area between Duthie Park and Aberdeen's famous Union Street. There are two attractive lounges furnished in period style.
RATING: ****

Malmaison
278 West George Street G2 4LL
Tel: +44 (0) 141 572 1000
Fax: +44 (0) 141 572 1002
Website: www.malmaison.com
e.mail: glasgow@malmaison.com
With 72 bedrooms, this is part of a chain of cleverly and stylishly designed hotels throughout the UK. The main restaurant is known as the Brasserie, and there is Cafe Mal for the lighter snack alternative.
RATING: ****

Langs Hotel
2 Port Dundas Place G2 3LD
Tel: +44 (0) 141 333 1500
Fax: +44 (0) 141 333 5700
Website: www.langshotels.co.uk
Email: genman@langshotel.fs.co.uk
Glass-fronted and central to Glasgow's theatre land, there are 100 elegant bedrooms in this recently opened modern hostelry situated close to theatre and shopping areas. There are two restaurants – Oshi, which serves Japanese- and Chinese style food, and Les Briles, which has Mediterranean cuisine.
RATING: ****

Carlton George
44 West George Street G2 DH
Tel: +44 (0) 141 353 6373
Fax: +44 (0) 141 353 6263
Website: www.carltonhotels.co.uk
Email: george@carltonhotels.co.uk
Adjacent to George Square and Queen Street Station, this comfortable 65- bedroom hotel opened three years ago and has all the luxuries of satellite television, computer points, fax, fridge, tea and coffee making facilities en-suite. The upstairs Windows Restaurant provides excellent service to the business traveller with excellent views over the city.
RATING: ****

Inverness
Although it has been known as the capital of the Scottish Highlands for centuries, Inverness was only granted city status by the Queen in March 2001. With excellent road, rail and air connections, it is a great touring centre for the north of Scotland, but with suspension bridges across the River Ness, old stone buildings and lively shopping centres, there are plenty of local distractions for the visitor. In particular, the Eden Court theatre, close to Inverness Cathedral, provides a diverse year-round programme of drama, music and cinema.

Inverness Marriott
Culcabock Road, IV2 3LP.
Tel: +44 (0)1463 237 166
Fax: +44 (0) 1463 225 208
Website: www.marriotthotels.co.uk
Email: Inverness@marriotthotels.co.uk
Once a family home, this attractive hotel provides quality bedrooms with satellite television, seven luxurious executive rooms and several family rooms. There is a fully equipped leisure club for relaxation, and horse riding, fishing and golf can be arranged. The Inglis Restaurant has earned a reputation for seasonal Scottish food, and snacks are available in the cocktail lounge and conservatory. A fine range of single malt whiskies is also available.
RATING: ****

Inverness Thistle
Milburn Road, IV2 3TR
Tel: +44 (0) 1463 239 666
Fax: +44 (0) 1463 711 145
Website: www.thistlehotels.com/ thistle_inverness/
Email: Inverness@thistle.co.uk
This modern 118-bedroom hotel is situated less than a mile from the city centre with easy access to the A9 (north and south) and is 15 minutes from the airport. Standard, executive and family rooms are available. Executive rooms are fitted with fax and modem points.
RATING: ****

By :
In : Hotels
Issue : 1
Page : 30
Words : 2,727

Paragraph Publishing Limited, registered in England and Wales, number 5292845.
Registered office: King Street House, 15 Upper King Street, Norwich. NR3 1RB.
VAT number: 706 7778 02