A new lease of life

The Old Waverley Hotel is blessed and cursed by its past. Sally Toms reports

Ensconced in a comfy corner gazing at an array of spirits bottles on the bar, it's hard to believe that when The Old Waverley Hotel originally threw open its doors it was the first Temperance hotel in Scotland.

Opening a teetotal hotel in 1848 on the best street in the city was a bold move at the time, and as such it became popular with radicals and reformers of every kind.

In its day, it was very grand indeed.

It is still the oldest operating hotel in Scotland, but time takes its toll and in recent years this distinguished old gentleman was starting to look a bit tired.

But, all that is set to change. Experienced hoteliers the Kapoor family bought the hotel last year and have given it a new lease of life.

The new owners are keen to maximise its potential, but from a business point of view there are problems modernising a B-listed building such as The Old Waverley – you can't touch the exterior and there's only so much you can do to the interiors to bring them up to date.

“It's restricting,” admits Ricky Kapoor, commercial director, with an expression that says it's more than restricting.

The hotel lobby, for example, is on the first floor and there is no elevator that can be used. There is a bell to ring for the porter if you need help with luggage.

The layout of the building hasn't changed in 150 years; there are high ceilings and narrow corridors with twists and turns and steps. The benefit of which is that you don't feel like you're sandwiched together in id...

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• By : Sally Toms
• In : Best of Scotland
• Issue : 27
• Page : 40
• Words : 816