Firm to open up its first Scottish hotel in Glasgow

FORMER Royal Bank of Scotland offices can be converted into a 149- bedroom hotel, the city council has ruled.

Scotland’s first Melia hotel is set to open at 250 St Vincent Street after planning officers gave the go- ahead to an application for a change of use.

A restaurant, lounge and bar, which will be open to the public, are also planned for the site.

More than 40 full- time equivalent jobs will be created as a result of the scheme, the application revealed.

“The development will bring a long- standing vacant office building back into beneficial use, reinstating the grandeur of the building and returning it to its original use as a hotel,” the plans, from Union Properties Ltd, stated.

“Melia

Hotels

International,

one of the largest hotel companies in the world, currently operate four Melia hotels in England, including three in London and one in Manchester, with a further two currently under development in Newcastle and Liverpool.

“This development will bring the first Melia branded hotel to Scotland with the introduction of the Innside by Melia brand to this prime location.”

Work on the category B- listed building will include the “careful repair and conservation of the historic facades” as well as “reinstating a number of external features which had been lost as part of a 1980s redevelopment”.

Designed as a hotel by architect James Thomson, the property was constructed in 1878 and underwent “substantial redevelopment works” in the late 1980s when it became offices for the Royal Bank of Scotland.

A planning report stated: “The building was operated as an office by Royal Bank of Scotland from the late 1980s until 2016 when it was partially vacated before being vacated entirely at the beginning of 2018.

“Since then, the building has been extensively marketed as available office space with no notes of interest.”

There will be no dedicated parking for hotel guests but eight disabled spaces will be available to Blue Badge holders by “prior arrangement”.

The plans added: “The Innside brand operates as four and five- star hotels marketed at the travelling professional with high quality, contemporary and playful interiors providing a welcoming experience for both guests and visitors alike.

“A key component of the development is the front of house offering which is open to both the public and hotel residents, creating a vibrant new destination.”