The George Hotel (Edinburgh)
| InterContinental Edinburgh The George | |
|---|---|
 No. 19 George St, the hotel's main entrance | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | 19-21 George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°57′14″N 3°11′47″W / 55.953810°N 3.196346°W |
| Opening | 1881 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | Townhouse (Old Wing) 4 Forth (New Wing) 7 |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 240 |
| Number of restaurants | 1 |
| Parking | On Street (Limited, Chargeable, Maximum 3 Hours) Hotel provides discounts to residents when parking at the St James Quarter car park. |
| Website | |
| InterContinental Edinburgh The George | |
InterContinental Edinburgh The George is a historic hotel located at 19–21 George Street in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.
History
The five townhouses on George Street that make up the hotel's historic core, Nos. 15–25,[1] were constructed around 1780 as part of Edinburgh's New Town, to designs by John Young.[2] They are now a category A listed building.[3] In 1840, No. 19 George Street was remodeled by architect David Bryce,[2] as the headquarters of the Caledonian Insurance Company. It is today the hotel's main entrance.
In 1860, a hotel opened in Nos. 21 & 23, gradually expanding to cover the upper levels of the other buildings as well. In 1879, the Caledonian Insurance Company expanded to Nos. 15 & 17, with remodeling carried out by MacGibbon and Ross.[2] In 1881, the hotel portion became The George Hotel. In 1905, the hotel was completely remodeled, with the addition of luxurious public rooms on the ground floor.[1]
In 1939, the Caledonian Insurance Company moved out, selling their premises to The George Hotel. The outbreak of World War II prevented a planned expansion, and the offices were requisitioned by the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes until 1946.[1] The old insurance offices finally opened as the expanded George Hotel in 1950. In 1958, the hotel proposed a 17-story tower wing in the rear, but a public inquiry prevented its construction. The George Hotel's owners, Grand Metropolitan,[4] eventually built a smaller 7-storey rear wing, designed by Henry Wylie, in 1967.[2]
When Grand Metropolitan bought Inter-Continental Hotels in 1981, they placed the George in that company's Forum Hotels division. In the early 1990s, the George was remodeled and transferred to the upscale Inter-Continental Hotels division as the George Inter-Continental Edinburgh. InterContinental Hotels sold the George to the Principal Hotel Company for £20 million in June 2005,[5] and the hotel returned to its original name, before being completely renovated in 2006.[1] It was voted Best Hotel in Edinburgh at the Scottish Hotel Awards 2009.[6]
In 2015–16, London-based interior design studio Goddard Littlefair redesigned the hotel's interiors.
Noted guests
For the past 200 years the property has been a prestigious address. In Georgian times the poet
References
- ^ a b c d e "George Hotel History Booklet" (PDF). Edinburgh World Heritage.[dead link]
- ^ ISBN 0300096720.
- ^ "19-25 (odd nos) George Street, George Hotel: LB28830". Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ISBN 9781474400138.
- ^ Walsh, By Dominic (10 June 2005). "IHG set for £20M sale of Edinburgh Hotel to Principal". The Times.
- ^ "Scottish Hotel Awards, 2009 results" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2009.
- ^ "The Principal Edinburgh George Street". Goddard Littlefair. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ "The Printing Press Bar and Kitchen set to open on George Street". STV. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ^ "Iconic Hotel Relaunches as The Principal Edinburgh". DRAM. 3 November 2016.
- ^ "IHG adds exceptional UK hotels for InterCon and Kimpton with Principal Hotels acquisition". Head for Points. 3 May 2018.
- ^ "IHG Invests in Scotland as They Bring InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Back to Edinburgh".