Edinburgh’s Leonardo Royal Hotel sits grand and proud just off Morrison street in the Haymarket area of the city. Perfectly located for all of Edinburgh’s transport links to the airport and other parts of Scotland, with a train station, bus and tram stop within 7 minutes walking distance, it’s conveniently located for any traveller. Once a Premier Inn, it has undergone a major refurbishment to boast 282 rooms at 4 star standard.
The hotel aims to appeal to guests who visit the capital for both leisure and business pursuits. The Edinburgh hotel is the second to open its doors in the UK after London Heathrow and there’s plans for more expansion within the UK, including Scotland. There are over 80 hotels in more than 40 locations including Spain, Poland, Switzerland and with the largest offering in Germany where the management in Europe is based in Berlin. Outside of Europe, Israel has 13 hotels, most of them accompanied by a glistening swimming pool.
I had the pleasure of being invited to attend a sneak peak of the new establishment and walked through the glamorous bar and dining area to be met by some other attendees at the event. The lights above the bar and around the room change colour to give a different mood and feeling to the room which I loved, they were set on red on the night we were there which I thought tied in really nicely with the branding of the hotel.
I had the pleasure of meeting Lynnel Farrow who is the Regional Sales Manager at the Edinburgh hotel, she told me how proud she was of the finished product. A tour of the bedrooms was a real treat, I loved that behind the bed there was a picture of the view of Edinburgh from Carlton Hill and in some bedrooms there were individual photos of a piper above the bed.
There was complimentary fresh milk and water in the bedroom fridges which I really liked. All in all, the rooms had a cosy feel with all the touches you need for a city break. A lovely lady with a Liverpudlian lilt to her accent (unfortunately I can’t remember her name), explained that there were women-friendly rooms with prosecco, a hot water bottle, make-up mirror and Sea of Spa cosmetic products all included! I thought this was a really quirky idea as more and more women are opting for single travel whether it be for business or leisure purposes.
The bathrooms come complete with sheep, yes you read right, sheep! Some Highland sheep on the bathroom wall to keep you company whilst you’re soaking in the tub, I thought it was really unique and something people would talk about after their stay and probably less cliché than a Highland coo!
We were lucky enough to get to sample some of the food offerings from the hotel – Mini haggis neeps and tatties accompanied with a whisky sauce and mini fish & chips which I think will be a good selling point with guests who expect to eat food native to Scotland. Salmon bagels and mini tartlets and gorgeous coffee chocolate dessert and cranachan cheesecake type dessert for afters, I loved the mini coffee cups and mint leaves.
The cocktails were made using Edinburgh gin, of which there are lots of varieties, our cocktail pictured was raspberry flavoured and went down very well! I love that the hotel is in-keeping with everything Edinburgh and that’s what the designer ‘Andreas Neudahm’ said was the focal point for the venture, to create a stylish environment with links to what makes this city unique.
If I didn’t live down the road then I’d definitely be booking into one of the women-friendly rooms at The Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh. With tasty Scottish classics, mouth-watering cocktails, beautifully decorated bedrooms and chique design throughout. Located perfectly for all Edinburgh has to offer, I’d highly recommend you book here for your next stay in Scotland’s capital.
Tuggy Tucks In 