Yotel comes to Scotland with first hotel in Edinburgh's New Town

A 280 '˜cabin room' hotel designed to mimic the comfort of luxury air travel will open its first Scottish hotel in a vacant office building on Queen Street.
Yotel hotel brand has announced plans to open its first hotel in Scotland, which it says will provide an alternative to "traditional" offerings. Picture; PAYotel hotel brand has announced plans to open its first hotel in Scotland, which it says will provide an alternative to "traditional" offerings. Picture; PA
Yotel hotel brand has announced plans to open its first hotel in Scotland, which it says will provide an alternative to "traditional" offerings. Picture; PA

The proposal to convert the former Erskine House into a multi-storey “Yotel” was given council approval and will open at the start of 2019.

There are no plans for significant changes to the main exterior of Erskine House, which is not listed but bounded by category A-registered properties on either side.

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The hotel will add to the number of accommodation space available in the city following predictions that 9,000 additional beds will be needed by 2021 to cope with soaring visitor demand.

The project will be designed by Edinburgh-based Fletcher Joseph Architects and global interior designer, Aedas with construction by ISG.

READ MORE: Mini-hotel chain Yotel to open in Capital next year

The hotel concept, which has recently been established in New York, London and Singapore, is based on travel and aims to “translate the language of luxury airline travel into small but luxurious cabins”.

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“Edinburgh is both a popular tourist and business hub and our new hotel will be a great addition to the city, appealing to both markets,” said Yotel chief executive Hubert Viriot. “Our contemporary and playful design together with technology driven experiences, will offer an exciting alternative to the current mostly traditional offering. Yotel is on a rapid expansion path and the announcement of our Edinburgh city hotel plays an integral part in our future plans in Scotland.”

Each cabin is fitted with a technowall with adjustable mood lighting and smart TVs for easy connectivity to guests’ own devices.

The new hotel will feature a two-storey screening room and bar as well as a gym. Stuart Pannell, vice president of design and development, said: “To maintain the integrity of the building, we’ll be reviving the huge glass atrium into a flexible double height events space within our Club Lounge concept. The rest of the building, which wasn’t left vacant for long, has provided us with a great canvas.

The project is currently in development stages and marks the first use of the £185 million ($250million) partnership between Yotel and an affiliate of Starwood Capital Group. Cody Bradshaw.

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Starwood Capital Group said: “We’ve used our expertise to find the perfect building in Edinburgh for our first Yotel project, and are delighted to help this distinctive brand make their debut in Scotland. We’ve brought in a local architect to incorporate elements of the surrounding area, while in keeping with the innovative spirit of the Yotel brand, with the aim of creating something truly unique in this market.”

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