Hotel Indigo Edinburgh - Princes Street

Hotel Indigo Edinburgh - Princes Street opened in December 2016 at 20 Princes Street, in the former Royal British Hotel. IHG presented it as the second Hotel Indigo in Edinburgh and as a dramatic transformation of a local landmark, in the words of general manager Helen Gallagher. It has 64 rooms and is run under a franchise agreement with The Station Hotel (Newcastle) Ltd.

The place

Princes Street runs along the boundary between the Old Town and the New Town. The hotel stands at number 20, close to the Scott Monument and the National Portrait Gallery. Edinburgh Waverley station and the St Andrew Square tram stop are both nearby.

In November 2016 IHG counted nine hotels of its own in Edinburgh.

The concept

The building was designed by James Macintyre Henry, built between 1896 and 1898 and opened in 1899 as the Royal British Hotel. It is a four-storey hotel with a double attic. Historic Environment Scotland listed it in Category B on 20 February 1985, under the name 19 and 20 Princes Street, incorporating the Royal British Hotel. Thomas Hamilton had rebuilt the neighbouring number 19 in 1837.

Sources differ on the facade. One reference lists red Peterhead granite, Sicilian marble and stone from the Prudham quarries in Northumberland, while the heritage record describes polished cream sandstone.

Inside, the design draws on Scottish heritage: paintings and portraits of authors, poets and artists tied to Edinburgh's literary history hang in the public areas. Each of the 64 rooms uses Harris Tweed soft furnishings, and the bathrooms have walk-in showers with rainfall heads.

Dining & wellness

Twenty Princes Street is the ground-floor restaurant. Executive Chef Tony Sarton cooks a seasonal menu with local produce, and the dining room looks out over the city skyline. IHG's release calls the restaurant award-winning.

The bar is called Juniper. It works with locally sourced ingredients, homemade juices and infusions, and its list includes a cocktail named Ordinary Madness.