Cruise news

Beam me up a scotch, Scotty! MSC is boldly going to launch the first-ever humanoid robotic bartender at sea.

New flagship MSC Virtuosa will feature the MSC Starship

Club, a futuristic immersive bar and entertainment venue ‘staffed’ by cutting-edge android mixologist Rob. Passengers will discover 3D holograms, digital wall art and a 12-seater infinity interactive table which virtually explores outer space. Rob will mix and serve a galaxy of signature cocktails – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – plus personalised drinks, while talking to his customers in eight languages (Klingon currently not included), sharing jokes, riddles and space trivia, and using his LED face to convey emotion.

The venue is bound to be a big draw when 6,334 passenger Virtuoso comes into service on April 16.

She will debut from Genoa with four short voyages in the Mediterranean, then reposition to Kiel, Germany, to sail the Baltic and Norwegian fjords. msccruises.co.uk

The Grand Dame of Scottish country hotels, Gleneagles, nestling in Perthshire’s gentle rolling hills, will be bringing a taster of country house elegance to Edinburgh.

The Gleneagles Townhouse will be as glamorous as the original. In a stupendous building on St Andrew Square, which was home to the British Linen Bank and later, the Bank of Scotland, many of the original architectural features have been preserved.

The 33 bedrooms, in eight different categories, will be comfortable yet grand with plump sofas, richly patterned fabrics and beautifully dressed beds.

A rooftop bar will be the place for pre-dinner cocktails as you take in views across the honey-hued New Town , while the restaurant will offer nibbles and meals all day.

Room prices and autumn opening date to be announced.

gleneagles.com