Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian is a
five-star hotel in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, Scotland. Opened in December 1903, it is an example of a British grand railway hotel,
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
Category, plural categories, may refer to:
Philosophy and general uses
*Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally
*Category of being
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.
Construction
The Caledonian Hotel, constructed from 1899 to 1903, was part of 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 ...
's
Edinburgh Princes Street railway station
Princes Street Station was a mainline railway station which stood at the west end of Princes Street, in Edinburgh, Scotland, for almost 100 years. Temporary stations were opened in 1848 and 1870, with construction of the main station commenci ...
. It was a rival to the
North British Railway's
North British Hotel, which opened at the other end of
Princes Street in 1903. 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.
The architects of the hotel were
John More Dick Peddie
John More Dick Peddie (21 August 1853 – 10 March 1921) was a British architect.
Biography
Peddie was the son of the architect and politician John Dick Peddie (1824–1891) and his wife Euphemia Lockhart More. Born in Edinburgh, he attend ...
and
George Washington Browne
Sir George Washington Browne (21 September 1853 – 15 June 1939) was a Scottish architect. He was born in Glasgow, and trained there and in London. He spent most of his career in Edinburgh, although his work can be found throughout Scotland a ...
.
[ Peddie's assistant and job architect was John Wilson.
When first built, the hotel had 205 rooms, with decor in the style of Louis XV.] The grand arches at the front of the hotel also provided access to the railway station below. The red sandstone facade has been a city landmark throughout the hotel's history.
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. The original station clock, pre-dating the fire of 1890, has been preserved in the hotel.
Refurbishment
Queens Moat Houses sold the Caledonian to Hilton International
Hilton Worldwide (legally Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.) is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the corporation is now led b ...
in March 2000 for £44.2m, and it was renamed the Caledonian Hilton Edinburgh. A £24 million refurbishment in 2011 put the hotel within the luxury flagship Waldorf Astoria
The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultz ...
brand, and it was renamed Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian. By the time of the refurbishment, the hotel had 241 rooms. The refurbishment plans included the addition and improvement of the public spaces, rooms, spa and restaurant. 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. The hotel's fine dining restaurant is named The Pompadour. The Pompadour was refurbished in 2021 and reopened under the name Dean Banks at The Pompadour. It also provides a Scottish restaurant, Grazing by Mark Greenaway, opened in 2019.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
LuLu Group International is an Indian Emirati-based multinational conglomerate company that operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It was founded in 2000 by M. A. Yusuff Ali from ...
, 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, at a cost of £20m.
See also
* British Transport Hotels
References
{{coord, 55.9500, N, 3.2073, W, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:GB, display=title
Railway hotels in Scotland
Category A listed buildings in Edinburgh
Listed hotels in Scotland
Hotels in Edinburgh
Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotels
1903 establishments in Scotland
Hotels established in 1903
Hotel buildings completed in 1903