Edinburgh hotels named among 100 best places to stay in the UK in annual Times guide

Two Edinburgh hotels have been named among the 100 best places to stay in the UK.

The Gleneagles Townhouse in St Andrew Square is listed in the Best City Hotels category of the newly-published Times and Sunday Times "Best Places to Stay 2024" guide. And the W Hotel in the St James Quarter features in the Best Romantic Hotel category.

The guide hails a "bumper year for amazing hotels" and includes nine Scottish establishments among the 100. And top of the list across the UK is the famous Gleneagles hotel in Perthshire, which will celebrate its centenary in June. The guide says: "When Gleneagles opened, it was hailed as the Riviera of the Highlands and set a new standard for country house hotels across Europe. We think it’s remarkable that, 100 years on, this legendary 232-room hotel is still on top form and raising the bar for the hospitality scene."

The Gleneagles Townhouse (left) and the W Hotel both feature in the guide to the 100 best places to stay in the UK.

Gleneagles won Hotel of the year, Scotland hotel of the year and Countryside hotel of the year with an overall score of 9/10. Its Edinburgh offshoot, the Gleneagles Townhouse, also scores 9/10.

The review says: "Edinburgh has had its corsets well and truly loosened by this fun-loving private-club-cum-boutique-hotel on St Andrew Square. Once a seriously sober branch of a Bank of Scotland, the exuberant neoclassical architecture of its banking hall is much better suited to its new iteration as a buzzy all-day diner, dominated by a twinkling art deco bar. The hotel is a winner from top (a trendy rooftop bar) to bottom (a high-tech wellness studio)."

The W Hotel gets a similar 9/10 overall score. The review acknowledges the controversy over the hotel's appearance. "The 12-floor hotel is either an “outstanding landmark evoking Edinburgh’s festival spirit” (the architects) or a “golden turd” (a vocal chunk of Edinburgh residents)."

But it gives a positive verdict. "Elegant, sexy, secluded — it feels a lifetime away from the hustle and bustle of the St James Quarter. Whatever your take on the exterior, W Hotel group’s second UK venture is an exhilarating addition to Auld Reekie’s hospitality scene."

The other Scottish hotels to feature include the Ship Inn in Elie, Fife, which is listed among the Best Cheap and Chic Hotels, and The Address in Glasgow, which is among the Best Boutique Hotels.