The Scotsman Hotel

The Scotsman Hotel Edinburgh opened in 2001 in the Edwardian (1905) building which had housed The Scotsman newspaper for nearly a century. The hotel is located on North Bridge between the Royal Mile and Princes Street, thereby straddling Edinburgh’s Medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town.

For other uses, see Scotsman (disambiguation).

The Scotsman Hotel
The north elevation of The Scotsman Hotel
General information
StatusComplete
TypeHotel
Architectural styleScots Renaissance
Address20 North Bridge
EH1 1TR
Town or cityEdinburgh
CountryScotland
Coordinates55°57′4″N 3°11′17″W
Named forThe Scotsman
Construction started1899
Completed1902
Opened2001 (2001)
ClientJohn Ritchie & Co
OwnerG1 Group
Technical details
Floor count10
Design and construction
ArchitectJames Dunn and James Finlay
Other information
Number of rooms56
Number of suites13
Number of restaurants1 (Grande Cafe)
Number of bars1 (The Hide)
Public transit access St Andrew Square
Edinburgh Waverley
Website
scotsmanhotel.co.uk
Listed Building – Category A
Official name20-52 (Even Nos) North Bridge including Scotsman Hotel, Scotsman Steps, Arcade, Royal Mile Mansions, 175 and 177 High Street and 65-71 (Odd Nos) Cockburn Street
Designated12 December 1974
Reference no.LB30143

Ownership

The Scotsman was previously part of JJW Hotels & Resorts and was purchased by Sheikh M.B.I Al Jaber for £63 million in 2006.[1] In August 2007, JJW acquired The Eton Collection.[2]

The hotel went into liquidation in June 2016 and was sold to the G1 Group for an undisclosed amount in February 2017.[3]

Building history

In the 1900s the North Bridge running between the New and Old Towns of Edinburgh was widened and as part of this expansion a 190-foot-high tower was built, into which The Scotsman newspaper moved their offices. The building cost around £500,000 and after the rest of the North Bridge extension was completed teamed with the Carlton directly opposite, it formed an imposing entrance to the Old Town.

The direct access from Market Street to the building was an ideal distribution outlet for the papers to be packed directly onto the trains at Edinburgh Waverley railway station straight from the printing house that took up the entire basement. The middle floors of the building were originally used for the editorial offices. The current penthouse used to be the Pigeon lofts. The site now occupied by the North Bridge Brasserie originally held the reception and trading rooms where bartering over advertising took place.

In 2001 the Newspaper moved to their own purpose built offices in Holyrood and the building was renovated into The Scotsman Hotel. In 2017, the hotel once again came under Scottish ownership when it was purchased by G1 Group, one of the countries largest hospitality groups. Now the companies flagship venue, the Hotel has spent several years going through a substantial refurbishment, which has seen all bedrooms upgraded and a boutique cinema added. Additionally, The Grand Cafe now occupies the former advertising offices of the building, serving brunch, afternoon tea and dinner to a soundtrack of live piano and jazz.

Ghosts

In a link to its time as former offices of the Edinburgh Evening News, the building is reported to be "haunted by a host of ghosts, including a phantom printer and a phantom forger."[4]

Awards

References
  1. Colin Donald (1 February 2006). "Scotsman hotel sold to Saudi for GBP 63m". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  2. Michael Blackley (16 August 2007). "City's Scotsman Hotel booked in for a six-figure makeover Revamp ahead after group buys Eton Collection for GBP 70m". The Scotsman. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  3. BBC (22 February 2017). "Five-star Scotsman Hotel in Edinburgh bought by entrepreneur Stefan King". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  4. The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 8 November 2004 http://news.scotsman.com/features/Why-youve-more-than-a.2578441.jp. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. Frank ODonnell (28 September 2002). "Scotsman Hotel wins AA Hotel of the Year award". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
  6. http://www.scottishhoteloftheyearawards.com/docs/2008/SHOTY%202008%20Winners.pdf
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