Royal Garden Apartments on Queen Street to be expanded, offering unique design and tech-powered hospitality

A leading next-generation hospitality company that is redefining the guest experience through technology and design is set to expand serviced apartments opposite the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

The additional rooms in the Royal Garden Apartments on Queen Street form part of a major expansion by the tech-enabled hospitality provider Sonder Holdings, which is adding six properties in the UK & Ireland, including four hotels in London.

Oliver Armitstead, regional director of real estate at the San Francisco-based company, said: “As a high-growth global hospitality company, we are excited to expand our unique design and tech-powered hospitality offering across the United Kingdom & Ireland, with the expansion of our Edinburgh operation and the opening of a number of new hotels.

“The modern traveller demands digital service and thoughtful design, both of which we deliver across our portfolio worldwide.

“For owners, we offer competitive partnership terms with secured income, and we remove operational responsibilities. Following Sonder’s recent public listing, we’re advancing ambitious growth plans worldwide.”

This addition forms part of a major expansion by the tech-enabled hospitality provider, which is adding six properties in the UK & Ireland, including four new hotels in London.

In April 2022, Sonder opened The Henry, a 102-key hotel close to Hyde Park in Bayswater, and The Voyage, a 53-key hotel on Norfolk Square close to Paddington Station.

Serviced apartments opposite the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh are to be expanded by 11 units bringing the total to 41.

A further property on Norfolk Square will follow shortly: The Rove, with 74 keys. Additionally, in the second half of 2022, Sonder will open an 86-key hotel near to Bedford Square in Bloomsbury.

All are located close to major business districts, tourist attractions and transport hubs, and have been updated to offer Sonder’s signature exceptional design and tech-enabled, modern service. Building on recent expansion, with an ongoing focus on prime locations, these four properties will join the six existing hotels in Sonder’s London portfolio.

In Dublin, Sonder will open its first hotel in the city, with 26 keys, on Leeson Street later this year and has contracted an additional 91 units in the Dublin 1 area. The Leeson Street hotel is a historic, 19th-century Georgian building undergoing updates, located close to St Stephen's Green park.

These operations are in addition to Sonder’s two existing serviced apartment properties in Dublin.