The voco Grand Central Glasgow (usually known by locals by its former name, the Central Hotel) is a large 4-star

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

in the centre of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland. The hotel forms the front of the

Glasgow Central railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Main Concourse at Glasgow Central Station.JPG , caption = The main concourse , borough = Glasgow, City of Glasgow , country ...

on Gordon Street, directly adjoining onto the station concourse. It was one of Glasgow's most prestigious hotels in its heyday, hosting residents such as

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American actor, dancer, singer, filmmaker, and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

and

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

History

The hotel was designed by

Robert Rowand Anderson Sir Robert Rowand Anderson, (5 April 1834 – 1 June 1921) was a Scottish Victorian architect. Anderson trained in the office of George Gilbert Scott in London before setting up his own practice in Edinburgh in 1860. During the 1860s his ...

, in ' Queen Anne style'; he also furnished the public rooms.Johnston and Hume (1979), pages 38–41. The hotel was constructed by the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...

and was completed in 1883 as the Central Station Hotel. It was extended, along with the station, in 1901–1906. The hotel extension was designed by James Miller and it opened on 15 April 1907. It was later renamed the Central Hotel. The world's first long-distance television pictures were transmitted to the hotel on 24 May 1927 by

John Logie Baird John Logie Baird FRSE (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first live working television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the first publicly demo ...

. Following the break-up of

British Transport Hotels British Transport Hotels (BTH) was the hotels and catering business of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. Origins of the company Britain's private railway companies pioneered the concept of the railway hotel, initially at locati ...

in the early 1980s, the hotel was sold in 1983 and passed through the hands of various private operators. It was operated by

Choice Hotels International Choice Hotels International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company based in Rockville, Maryland. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns several hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy. As of ...

for many years as the Quality Hotel Central Glasgow. In February 2009,

The Real Hotel Company plc The Real Hotel Company was a hotel firm which was founded in 1877 and went into administration in 2009. History The company was founded as the Birmingham Coffee House Company in 1877 and evolved through the early 20th century to become the Arden a ...

was forced into administration, and the hotel subsequently closed amid concerns of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

contamination and structural deterioration. In June 2009, it was revealed that

Principal Hayley Group Principal Hotel Company is a British hotel and conference venue operator headquartered in Harrogate, England. History Principal Hotel Company advertises that it was established in 1898, as that is the year the oldest hotel in its chain, Kimpton F ...

had acquired the hotel. They refurbished it and re-opened it as the Grand Central Hotel on 9 September 2010. Together with the rest of Glasgow Central railway station, the hotel is protected as a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...

. Principal hotel company was sold to

InterContinental Hotels Group InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), marketed as IHG Hotels & Resorts, is a British multinational hospitality company headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the F ...

in 2018. The hotel closed in 2020 for an extensive renovation and was rebranded within IHG's

voco Voco (stylized as voco) is an international hotel brand owned by the InterContinental Hotels Group. Since launching in 2018, voco has opened hotels in the UK, Australia, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The name voco is derived from the L ...

chain as voco Grand Central Glasgow. It reopened on April 26, 2021.

References

{{reflist

External links

voco Grand Central Glasgow official websitevoco Grand Central Glasgow official chain websiteGrand Central Hotel project details - Clyde Waterfront Regeneration
Hotels in Glasgow Railway hotels in Scotland James Miller buildings Hotel buildings completed in 1883 Hotels established in 1883 19th century in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Listed hotels in Scotland Clock towers in the United Kingdom