First Look: Red Carnation Hotels launches debut Scottish property

Family-owned hotel collection Red Carnation Hotels has finally opened its first property in Scotland, 100 Princes Street.

Plans for the Edinburgh hotel were first announced in September 2021, with an initial opening date set for April 2022.

Red Carnation acquired the site, which was previously a private members’ club, for an undisclosed sum in 2019 and said it would transform the former Royal Overseas League building into an “exclusive retreat” in the style of the group’s Hotel 41 in London.

100 Princes Street has been restored and designed by Toni Tollman, Philippe Bonino and Brian Brennan, the team behind Ashford Castle in Ireland and Xigera Safari Lodge in Botswana.

The Scottish-themed property features 30 ensuite rooms and suites, as well as the Wallace dining room, bar and lounge and the Ghillie’s Pantry private dining room, which offers over one hundred whiskies.

Its design includes hand-painted murals of Scottish explorers that stretch the length of the five-storey staircase, a glass and bronze chandelier shaped as an adventurer’s hot air balloon, and bespoke tartans from Scottish designer Araminta Campbell.

The signature suites, the Archibald and the Isobel, are named after Scottish explorers Archibald Menzies and Isobel Wylie Hutchison.

The flagship restaurant, the Wallace, is led by South African chef Willhelm Maree and showcases local produce.

Nightly rates at 100 Princes Street start at £450 for an entry-level ensuite double room, including breakfast for two.