Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian | |
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Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian Location within Edinburgh city centre | |
Hotel chain | Waldorf Astoria |
General information | |
Type | Luxury hotel |
Classification | [1] |
Location | Edinburgh, EH1 2AB Scotland |
Address | Princes Street |
Opened | 1903 |
Renovated | 2011 |
Renovation cost | £24 million |
Owner | Twenty14 Holdings |
Management | Hilton Worldwide |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | John More Dick Peddie and George Washington Browne |
Other information | |
Number of rooms | 241 |
Number of restaurants | 3 |
Parking | Yes |
Website | |
Official website |
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian is a five-star hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. Opened in December 1903, it is an example of a British grand railway hotel,[2] formerly called The Caledonian Hotel, and nicknamed 'The Caley'. It stands at the west end of Princes Street and is a category A listed building.[3]
Construction
The Caledonian Hotel, constructed from 1899 to 1903, was part of the Caledonian Railway's Edinburgh Princes Street railway station. It was a rival to the North British Railway's North British Hotel, which opened at the other end of Princes Street in 1903.[4] The hotel was built on top of the stone, V-shaped station building that had been recently built as a replacement for the previous wooden station, which was damaged in a fire in June 1890.[2] The architects of the hotel were John More Dick Peddie and George Washington Browne.[3] Peddie's assistant and job architect was John Wilson.[5]
When first built, the hotel had 205 rooms, with decor in the style of Louis XV.[2] The grand arches at the front of the hotel also provided access to the railway station below.[2] The red sandstone facade has been a city landmark throughout the hotel's history.[6]
In 1965, Princes Street Station was closed, and it was demolished by 1970. This provided room for expansion of the hotel, and the cast iron gates at the entrance to a car park in Rutland Street are the only remainder of the station outwith the hotel.[2] The original station clock, pre-dating the fire of 1890, has been preserved in the hotel.[2]
Refurbishment
Queens Moat Houses sold the Caledonian to Hilton International in March 2000 for £44.2m, and it was renamed the Caledonian Hilton Edinburgh.[7] A £24 million refurbishment in 2011 put the hotel within the luxury flagship Waldorf Astoria brand, and it was renamed Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian.[2] By the time of the refurbishment, the hotel had 241 rooms.[8] The refurbishment plans included the addition and improvement of the public spaces, rooms, spa and restaurant.[8] The original station concourse and ticket office were roofed over to provide a bar and lounge area, named Peacock Alley, which incorporates the station clock.[6] The hotel's fine dining restaurant is named The Pompadour.[6] The Pompadour was refurbished in 2021 and reopened under the name Dean Banks at The Pompadour.[9] It also provides a Scottish restaurant, Grazing by Mark Greenaway, opened in 2019.[10] The bar, known as the Caley Bar, is venue 50 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Hilton sold the Caledonian to Twenty14 Holdings, the hospitality investment arm of Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group International, for £85m in January 2018. Hilton continues to manage the property, however. The new owners intend to remodel the hotel and add 50 more rooms,[11] at a cost of £20m.[12]
- The hotel under construction
- View from the hotel in 1938
- View of hotel from castle showing the Lothian Road side of the building
- View of preserved station gates from Rutland Street
See also
References
- ↑ "Five-star Edinburgh hotel sold in £85m deal". 16 January 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 McLean, David (7 October 2013). "Lost Edinburgh: Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian". The Scotsman. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
- 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "4 Lothian Road, The Caledonian Hotel... (Category A Listed Building) (LB29524)". Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ↑ "11 photos showing Princes Street Station: Edinburgh's great lost railway terminal". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ↑ Dictionary of Scottish Architects: John Wilson
- 1 2 3 Butler, Sophie. "Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian, Edinburgh: review". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ↑ "Hilton beats rivals to take Caledonian". The Caterer. 2 March 2000.
- 1 2 "Edinburgh set for Scotland's first Waldorf Astoria". BBC News. BBC. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
- ↑ "Chef Dean Banks to take over the Pompadour at..." The Caterer. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ↑ Stephen, Phyllis (17 April 2019). "New restaurant opening at Grazing with Mark Greenaway". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
- ↑ "Edinburgh's Caledonian Hotel set for expansion after £85m sale". www.scotsman.com.
- ↑ Monk, Zoe (17 January 2018). "UK's first Waldorf Astoria sold to developer of London's Great Scotland Yard hotel for £85m".