The Edinburgh outpost of the Gleneagles Estate — opened June 2022 in a comprehensively restored 1781 Bank of Scotland headquarters on St Andrew Square. Thirty-three rooms, members club, rooftop Lamplighters bar, and the most refined modern luxury arrival in central Scotland this decade.
"Gleneagles Estate's first urban property — 33 rooms in the comprehensively restored 1781 Bank of Scotland building on St Andrew Square. The interiors by David Davis combine Georgian proportion with contemporary craft. The members club downstairs, the rooftop Lamplighters bar with Castle views, and the Spence all-day dining room have made it the most-talked-about Edinburgh opening in a generation."
Gleneagles Townhouse opened in June 2022 as the urban extension of Gleneagles, the famous Perthshire country resort and home of the 2014 Ryder Cup. The building — 39 St Andrew Square — was completed in 1781 by architect Robert Reid as the headquarters of the British Linen Bank, later absorbed into the Bank of Scotland which occupied the building from the late 19th century until 2018. Ennismore (the Sharan Pasricha-led hospitality group that also owns Gleneagles, Hoxton Hotels, Mondrian, and Delano) acquired the building, took it through a four-year structural restoration, and opened the property as the most considered modern-luxury arrival Edinburgh has seen this century.
The 33 rooms (across five categories from Townhouse Bedroom to the two-bedroom Penthouse) are arranged across the upper four floors of the historic building, with the New Town's Georgian proportions kept entirely intact. Interiors are by David Davis — the in-house design lead at Ennismore who also delivered the Hoxton London — and combine Scottish craft (Bute fabrics, Harris Tweed, Glasgow-school furniture) with the building's original Georgian plasterwork, marble fireplaces, and 12-foot ceilings. The Penthouse — the headline unit — occupies the top floor with a private terrace looking south toward Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle. Townhouse Bedrooms (entry category) start at a generous 28 square metres; Junior Suites and Suites are larger.
The Spence — the all-day brasserie occupying the original double-height banking hall — is the public face of the property. The original 1781 vaulted ceiling, restored cornice work, and 7-metre Corinthian columns are intact; the kitchen runs Italian-Scottish under chef Tomás Gormley. Lamplighters Bar on the rooftop is the city's hardest evening reservation, with 360-degree Edinburgh views, including the Castle and Calton Hill (the latter only the second-best free view in Edinburgh after the rooftop itself). The Spa Garden runs ESPA treatments. The members club — accessible by membership or to all hotel guests during stays — occupies a separate first-floor lounge and is one of only two private members clubs in central Edinburgh.
Position is the second proposition: St Andrew Square is the heart of the New Town, three minutes walk from Princes Street, opposite the Royal Bank of Scotland former headquarters and Edinburgh's Scottish National Portrait Gallery, five minutes from The Balmoral at Waverley, ten minutes from the Royal Mile. The St Andrew Square tram stop is fifty metres from the front door, with direct access to Edinburgh Airport. For modern-luxury Edinburgh — Edinburgh as it is right now, rather than Edinburgh as it was in 1902 — Gleneagles Townhouse is the address.
The Townhouse handles Edinburgh anniversaries at the level where modern craft, restored heritage, and a quietly excellent restaurant matter more than the grand-hotel scale of the older Princes Street properties. A Junior Suite for a quiet weekend, a Suite for a milestone year, the Penthouse for a major one. Lamplighters before dinner, The Spence at lunch, the spa during the day. The concierge handles the Festival ticketing and the harder restaurant tables that the city demands.
For Edinburgh honeymoons booked on aesthetic grounds — design over heritage scale — the Townhouse is the obvious answer. The interiors are the most accomplished modern hotel design in Britain outside London; the rooftop bar at sunset over the Castle is the city's most photographed view. The Penthouse with its private terrace is the headline honeymoon room. Pairs well with three to four nights at the Gleneagles country property in Perthshire (one hour by car) for a Scotland-in-full honeymoon.
St Andrew Square is the modern Edinburgh financial address — the headquarters of Royal Bank of Scotland (now NatWest Group), Scottish Widows, Standard Life, and the Scottish Government's economic offices are all within five minutes. The Spence at lunch is the most-booked working table among Edinburgh's contemporary banking and tech set. The members club allows discreet meetings for non-hotel guests when arranged. For modern-Edinburgh business stays, this is the address that has displaced the older grand hotels.
39 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh EH2 2AD
Scotland, United Kingdom
St Andrew Square tram stop 50 metres; Princes Street 3 minutes; Waverley Station 5 minutes; Royal Mile 10 minutes; Edinburgh Airport 30 minutes by tram
33 rooms (incl. 8 suites)
Townhouse Bedrooms from £500/night
Junior Suites from £750/night
Suites from £1,100/night
Penthouse from £3,500/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Building completed 1781; opened as hotel June 2022; Ennismore / Gleneagles ownership
The Spence brasserie
Lamplighters rooftop bar
Members Club (first floor)
Spa Garden & ESPA treatments
Original 1781 banking hall intact
Sister to Gleneagles Perthshire
St Andrew Square address
From £500/night. The Penthouse and Suites book three to four months ahead for spring and autumn weekends; six to twelve months for the August Edinburgh Festival peak and Hogmanay. Lamplighters rooftop reservations book separately one month ahead.
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