STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced that it will open its first W Hotel in Scotland in 2021.
W Edinburgh will form the centrepiece of a 1.7 million sq ft development in the capital, which Starwood described as “a vibrant blend of retail, entertainment, leisure and residential apartments”. The hotel will form part of TH Real Estate’s Edinburgh St James scheme, which is set to complete in 2020.
The Edinburgh St James development will see the original shopping centre replaced with 850,000 sq ft of retail space, a multi-screen cinema and up to 250 new homes, as well as W Edinburgh. It is claimed the development will contribute an estimated £260 million to Edinburgh’s economy each year.
Designed by architecture and interior design practice Jestico & Whiles in conjunction with Allan Murray Architects, W Edinburgh will be set across 12 storeys and feature a unique façade crafted from a winding steel ‘ribbon’. The hotel will offer 214 guestrooms, including 20 suites and one “Extreme Wow Suite”, which is described as the W brand’s version of a presidential suite. The rooftop will feature a bar and outdoor terrace, which will offer guests 360-degree panoramic views of the city skyline. Other features of the new hotel will include a W Lounge, a signature restaurant, and a workout facility, as well as a spa.
Michael Wale, president of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Europe, Africa and Middle East, said he believes Edinburgh is the “perfect setting” for the second W Hotel within the UK.
“As an established business hub with a thriving global tourism industry, we are confident that there will be a huge appetite for our innovative lifestyle brand in the Scottish capital,” said Wale.
The director of shopping centres at TH Real Estate, Stephen Wicks, said that from the outset, it has been their intention “to secure a truly world class hotel operator for Edinburgh St James, complementing the rest of the development and forming an integral part of the scheme’s vibrant offer”.
“We are delighted to have finalised this deal with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and to be welcoming such an iconic and established brand as W Hotels to Scotland for the very first time,” said Wicks.
