The Scotsman Hotel

For other uses, see Scotsman (disambiguation).

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.

The Scotsman Hotel
The north elevation of The Scotsman Hotel
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Hotel
Architectural style	Scots Renaissance
Address	20 North Bridge EH1 1TR
Town or city	Edinburgh
Country	Scotland
Coordinates	55°57′4″N 3°11′17″W
Named for	The Scotsman
Construction started	1899
Completed	1902
Opened	2001; 24 years ago (2001)
Client	John Ritchie & Co
Owner	G1 Group
Technical details
Floor count	10
Design and construction
Architect(s)	James Dunn and James Finlay
Other information
Number of rooms	56
Number of suites	13
Number of restaurants	1 (Grande Cafe)
Number of bars	1 (The Hide)
Public transit access	St Andrew Square Edinburgh Waverley
Website
scotsmanhotel.co.uk
Listed Building – Category A
Official name	20-52 (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
Designated	12 December 1974
Reference no.	LB30143

Ownership

The Scotsman was previously part of JJW Hotels & Resorts and was purchased by Sheikh Mohamed bin Issa 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, designed by Dunn & Findlay, 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 country's largest hospitality groups. Now the company's 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 Café now occupies the former advertising offices of the building and serves 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

• Boutique Hotel Of The Year Award – 2020 Scottish Hotel Awards^[5]
• Hotel Design Gold Laurel – 2020 Scottish Hotel Awards^[5]
• Voted one of the top hotels in the world – Condé Nast Traveler, 2007^{[citation needed]}
• Voted one of the top hotels in the world – Departures
• Nominated Hotel of the Year – The AA, 2002^[6]
• One of the Top UK Business Hotels – Condé Nast Traveler, 2007
• One of the Top 20 UK hotels – Tatler, 2004^{[citation needed]}
• Simon Fraser was awarded Rising Star Restaurant Manager of the Year – Scottish Hotels of the Year Awards 2008^[7]
• Hotel is a member of The Preferred Hotel Group