Gleneagles Townhouse

When Gleneagles decided to leave the glen for the first time in a century, it chose one of Edinburgh's most handsome addresses: a grand former Bank of Scotland headquarters on St Andrew Square, at the eastern end of the New Town's Georgian grid. Opened in 2022, the Townhouse compresses the estate's sporting-house glamour into a 33-room city hotel with the feel of a private members' club—which, in part, it is.

The show-stealer is The Spence, the restaurant set in the old banking hall beneath a soaring glass dome, its marble columns and plasterwork restored to theatrical effect. Bedrooms upstairs are smaller than the country original but richly detailed—fluted headboards, heritage colours, marble-and-brass bathrooms—with square or city views. Service imports the estate's easy Scottish warmth rather than starch.

Up top, the Lamplighters rooftop bar looks across the square towards the Old Town skyline, while a compact wellness floor covers gym, sauna and treatment rooms. Princes Street, Multrees Walk and Waverley station are all within a few minutes on foot. It suits travellers who want Edinburgh's centre with personality and polish, and who don't need the acreage of a grand hotel to feel looked after.