Malmaison checks in with plans for Edinburgh hotel
● Set to open in 2019 and add to hotels in Leith, Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow
Edinburgh is set to gain another upmarket hotel after boutique brand Malmaison today unveiled plans to open in the city centre.
The firm, which already has a long-established Malmaison hotel in Leith and a sister Hotel du Vin on Bristo Place in the capital, is to transform a Grade A-listed property on the north side of St Andrew Square.
The multi-million-pound investment will see 50 jobs created ahead of the establishment opening in 2019. It comes as a string of hotel operators target Edinburgh’s buoyant tourism market, including Virgin Hotels, which recently outlined plans to open a luxury 225-room hotel by 2020.
Malmaison Hotel du Vin Group and development outfit S Harrison said they had signed an agreement to transform Buchan House into a boutique hotel offering 72 “luxurious bedrooms and iconic suites”.
Planning permission has already been granted for the redevelopment and renovation work on the historic Georgian building that covers 44,000 square feet will begin during the first half of 2018.
York-based S Harrison has a growing presence in Edinburgh following its £23 million redevelopment of a site on Leith Walk in 2016 into a 240-bedroom, student accommodation scheme. The firm has also recently bought two other sites in the Leith and Haymarket areas of the city and continues to “look for other opportunities”.
Malmaison said its new hotel would suit “stylish, modern travellers”, who will be able to eat and drink within the establishment’s Chez Mal Bar and Brasserie.
The hotel will complement Malmaison Edinburgh Leith, which famously occupies the site of a former “house of illrepute”, and was the first ever Malmaison to open, in 1994.
It also marks the latest development in a period of significant growth and investment for the brand. This includes plans to introduce Malmaison to Bournemouth and York, as well as the continued roll-out of the group’s contemporary Chez Mal bar and brasserie and its “Work + Play” meeting and events concept.
Guus Bakker, chief executive of Malmaison Hotel du Vin, said: “Edinburgh is a muchloved global destination for tourists and business alike and Malmaison is a great fit for the city and its visitors.
“We are delighted to be complementing our existing Leith hotel with a great venue for visitors to the city centre.”
S Harrison’s development director, David Clancy, added: “This is an exciting project and we are very pleased to conclude this deal with Malmaison, who will bring to life such an extremely prominent building. Its rich history and splendid architectural features will ultimately form the foundations of a fascinating, memorable and truly unique hotel.”
Malmaison, which was established in Edinburgh, also has hotels in several other locations including Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London and Belfast.