Leonardo Hotels, one of Europe’s fastest growing and most stylish hotel groups, has opened its first establishment in Scotland after investing more than €7M in the refurbishment of a former Premier Inn site in Edinburgh.
The Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh, which boasts 282 rooms and is located close to Haymarket railway station in the capital’s city centre, will offer 4-star superior accommodation – as well as Leonardo Hotels’ trademark design concept.
The Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh, which takes the Leonardo Hotels’ portfolio to more than 80 hotels in 40+ locations, follows the group’s focus to create non-standardised hotels that are defined by their own regional character, special local flair and bespoke style identity.
The decision to create the hotel under the premium Leonardo Royal brand underlines the group’s positioning of Edinburgh – and Scotland – as a prime new location in its continued European expansion plans.
Daniel Roger, Managing Director Leonardo Hotels Europe, said: “We are proud of the fact that the Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh, coupled with our hotel in London, represent a successful market launch in the UK, which we will continue to develop in future with other projects.
“Our business model is never to open just one hotel in a new area. Since 2006, we have opened 63 hotels and we are already reviewing our plans for further growth in Scotland.
“The secret behind the success of our rapid growth is the correct instinct for attractive and economically strong locations with buildings in first-class condition.
“We are a chain hotel, but we are as far removed from a chain hotel as possible.The satisfaction of our customers is our greatest asset. In order to achieve it, we work at it daily, investing lots of time and money. We orient ourselves to the feedback of our guests and use that to define our strategy and direction.
“Although the full renovation of all the rooms, the lobby and the restaurant at the Leonardo Royal Hotel Edinburgh has yet to be completed, we are already able to offer guests the trademark standards of quality, style and design associated with the Leonardo brand.”
The design of the new hotel was created by acclaimed interior designer Andreas Neudahm and continues the Leonardo Hotels’ philosophy of developing hotels that each have their own character with a clear link to their location.
The hotel is aiming to appeal to both leisure guests, given its location near to tram and train stops, as well as Edinburgh’s ever-growing corporate and business tourism market – fuelled by its proximity to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and the under-construction tHe Haymarket development. The hotel also offers more than 90 parking spaces.
In its last annual results, published in March 2017, Leonardo Hotels reported successful sales of 305 million euros, meaning annual revenues rose by 12.5% compared to the prior year. Occupancy rates also remained high, enabling the group to register about four million guests.
