First look at Edinburgh 256-bed city centre hotel with restaurant, bar and gym

Nicholas Malizia

12 November 2024 at 10:32 am·2-min read

The Edinburgh One building on 60 Morrison Street may be transformed into a four-star business hotel with a bar and restaurant. — -Credit: (Image: CEC)

New images show how a 256-bed hotel on the site of an empty Edinburgh office building will look if plans get the go ahead.

The Edinburgh One building on Morrison Street has been vacant since 2021 and developer MRP has purchased the site, intending to transform it into a modern four-star business hotel.

Edinburgh Live reported on the initial plans in August after MRP held a public consultation event on the city centre project.

The Dalata Hotel Group would operate the new building under the Clayton Hotel brand. The building currently stands at four storeys but the plans would add an additional three storeys.

The existing exterior would be retained while the interior would be converted to include a ground-floor bar, meeting rooms, and gym.

In line with Edinburgh Council intentions to reduce car use, the proposal is car-free. Lower parking spaces would be removed and cycle parking installed.

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Taxi drop-off and pedestrian access will be streamlined to the front of the building which will also reduce the need for private vehicles.

Developers estimate that there is an increased demand for hotels given the recent restrictions applied to short-term lets by Edinburgh Council.

Planning documents stated: “There is emerging evidence that the supply of short term lets is reducing in Edinburgh and therefore demand for hotel beds is likely to increase. Demand for visitor accommodation is high and the city centre is considered to be the most suitable location for new hotels.”

The site is located inside the West End Conservation Area and straddles the border of the New Town’s UNESCO World Heritage Site (WHS).

Developers say that the proposal will not have “significant” or “unacceptable impacts” on the World Heritage Site.

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