'Annie the Alpaca' travelled to Edinburgh to spend the day at luxury Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel

A luxury Edinburgh hotel secured an unlikely model for a photoshoot promoting their new pet-friendly package – an alpaca named Annie.

Annie the Alpaca travelled from Stirling, where she lives at the Alpaca Trekking Centre, to Edinburgh in October for the shoot at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel.

The alpaca happily posed for pictures, and was photographed sending Christmas cards, posing in festive accessories and even paying the bill for her drinks at the hotel bar!

The hotel rolled out the red carpet for Annie to help promote their PAWfect stay package, which provides the pets of guests with everything they need, including a comfy bed, treats and a bowl to eat or drink out of.

Experiencing the home comforts of the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel did not come as a huge shock to Annie, as she was raised differently to the 74 other alpacas that live outdoors on the farm at the Trekking Centre.

After Annie was rejected by her mother at just 10 minutes old, her owner Dannie Burns took her into his house and raised her by hand.

Dannie would wake every two hours to feed her from a bottle – “like a baby”, he said.

When he took his dogs out for the toilet, Annie would come too, cementing her status as a family pet. Hanging about with her owners pups has clearly affected Annie, as Dannie said: “She doesn’t think she’s an alpaca - she has nothing to do with the rest of the herd. She just thinks she’s a dog”.

Annie the Alpaca 'checking in' to the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel in Edinburgh's New Town.

Indeed, like a dog, Annie used to sleep next to Dannie's bed – although now she is over a year old, she is too big for the bedroom and sleeps on the porch.

Even now Annie lives outside half of the time, she is as loving as ever according to Dannie, and still runs to meet him as he comes down the drive in his car each day.

Some might think that an alpaca wouldn’t like being the centre of attention, however, Dannie believes the opposite of Annie. He said: “She’s kind of crazy, she loves attention”.

Visiting a hotel was no feat for the attention-loving alpaca, who Dannie says “gets along with everybody”. She regularly gets taken to weddings, birthday parties, and nursing homes for visits.

Annie posed in reindeer ears in one of the hotel's luxurious rooms.

It’s not just alpacas that can visit the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel. The hotel welcomes all pets, whether they are furry, feathery or scaly. They have said: “As long as they can fit in the lift, they’re welcome!”.

Kieran Quinn, General Manager of Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel said: "As we all know, a dog, cat, parrot or even an alpaca is for life and not just for Christmas, which is why we’re delighted to be donating £5 from every PAWfect Stay Package to Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home throughout the month of December. It’s a wonderful local charity and this is just a small way of saying thanks for everything they’ve done for the amazing cats and dogs of Edinburgh”.

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