The Red Carnation hotel is making headlines in Scotland.
The famous British luxury hotel group officially opened its first hotel in Scotland this week at 100 Princes Street in Edinburgh. This boutique hotel has 30 rooms and suites located in a townhouse-style block overlooking Edinburgh Castle. Tartan-lined walls, stunning views and the vibrant atmosphere of a private members’ club await those who book a stay here looking for insight into Scottish culture and aesthetics. .
“It’s a niche market [with] 30 keys, but I think anyone would struggle, certainly in Edinburgh and probably anywhere in the world, to get this level of comfort and detail”, Jonathan Raggett , CEO of Red Carnation Hotels, said in an interview with TPG.
Red Carnation has a huge portfolio London hotels in popular areas such as Kensington, Mayfair and Westminster, but the brand is particularly popular with American visitors to Europe, especially those looking for a country retreat at the spacious Ashford Castle hotels grand and The Lodge at Ashford Castle in Ireland. Red Carnation also has a number of hotels in the UK, Switzerland, South Africa and Botswana.
100 Princes Street in Edinburgh joins a growing list of new hotels in the Scottish capital, which has seen new arrivals from brands such as Marriott’s W Edinburgh And Virgin Hotel few years recently. Gleneagles Townhousean urban offshoot of Ennismore’s ultra-luxurious Gleneagles golf resort, opening just a few blocks away from 100 Princes Street in 2022 and likely to become the new hotel’s biggest direct competitor More on the vibe front alongside Rocco Forte Hotels’ iconic Balmoral.
But Raggett points out that there’s plenty of room in Edinburgh’s ultra-luxurious hotel sandbox for everyone. 100 Princes Street has the advantage of being a smaller property so hotel staff can provide more personalized service and attention to customers.
“Edinburgh is a city where you can get everything,” Raggett said. “I want to make sure we give it to you.”
Rates at 100 Princes Street start at 450 pounds (about $565) per night for a double room with private bathroom, including Scottish breakfast for two. This rate is on par with the starting price at The Balmoral.
It’s all in the details
Inside the ornate stone façade of 100 Princes Street is The Wallace, the hotel’s chic restaurant, bar and lounge, the perfect place to relax with a glass of scotch at the end of the day or enjoy Afternoon tea between errands at Auld Reekie. The black and bronze accented Ghillie’s Pantry is a more intimate, elegant private dining room for those who want to gather with close friends and family… or at least close friends and family members. family you don’t bother sharing that rare bottle of Glenlivet with.
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The design team, who also oversaw the decorations at Ashford Castle as well as Red Carnation’s Xigera Safari Lodge in Botswana, emphasized the importance of details at 100 Princes Street. That means keep your eyes peeled for things like the astrological ceiling mural at Ghillie’s Pantry and the hand-painted mural paying homage to the Scottish expedition that lines the hotel’s five-story staircase .
Local artisans are behind the custom furniture, fabrics and artwork throughout the hotel, including five tartans by Scottish designer Araminta Campbell. The artistic nod to the discovery honors the fact that the building was once the headquarters of the Royal Over-Seas League, a non-profit diplomatic and exploration organization.
“We are very sympathetic to the fact that it was the hotel where the explorers stayed,” Raggett said.
Who is staying at 100 Princes Street?
We’ve been monitoring Edinburgh’s hotel scene amid new hotels entering the city over the past few years. But the city also stands out as still the European city with the highest hotel occupancy for any date of Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” stop this upcoming summer.
Should we take that as a sign that the city doesn’t have enough hotel rooms? It may not go that far, but Raggett says there’s still room for another player like 100 Princes Street in the ultra-luxury space.
Balmoral, also on Princes Street, could be the dominant force here thanks to its majestic architecture and pop culture appeal. (JK Rowling finished writing the “Harry Potter” books in a hotel room.)
But who’s to say that the next great author won’t decide to go a few blocks west and finish writing their opus at 100 Princes Street?
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