Review: Tynecastle Park Hotel - check into UK's first club-owned and operated hotel inside a football stadium - Scotland on Sunday Travel

Watch Heart of Midlothian FC from the comfort of your bed

Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh. Pic: SNS Group Rob Casey

Away up in Gorgie at Tynecastle Park, there's a wee…. hotel?

Yes, it’s true; sandwiched between the changing rooms and the hospitality suites in the main stand of Heart of Midlothian FC’s famous home are 25 well-appointed rooms.The Tynecastle Park Hotel is the UK's first club-owned and operated hotel inside a football stadium and spending the night there was an eye-opening experience.I’ve been coming to this ground since my Dad first brought me here as a seven-year-old in 1976 and it has been the scene of some formative moments, good and bad. We watched Hearts beat Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid and lose to Forfar and Montrose, and I’m one of these sad people who can measure their life out in derbies and Scottish Cup runs.

I’m not sure what my Dad would have made of being able to stay the night at Tynecastle but I know he would have approved of what Ann Budge has done for the club. Having stepped in to save Hearts from financial collapse in 2014, the local IT entrepreneur has rebuilt and overseen the transfer to fan ownership.

Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh. Pic. SNS Group Rob Casey

It was her vision to have a hotel in the new main stand which was built in 2017. Covid delayed its construction but the hotel finally opened for business last month.

Budget or boutique

It’s small enough and niche enough to make it boutique but the prices are reasonable. An opening offer of dinner, bed and breakfast is available from £150 per room per night, while Plaza rooms begin at £90. Anyone expecting a framed John Robertson jersey on their bedroom wall will be disappointed. The decor has been kept deliberately neutral in an attempt to appeal to a wider market but there are subtle nods to Hearts: the cushions are made from the club’s official tartan.

Room service

Pic: Tynecastle Park Hotel

Here’s where it gets interesting. You can have a Plaza room or a Roseburn room. The former have floor-to-ceiling windows with a view on to the Foundation Plaza, named after the Foundation of Hearts fans’ group who kept the club alive with their donations.The Roseburn rooms are internal and instead of a window you have a big screen showing a live feed of the Tynecastle pitch. It means that if there's a match on you can watch the action unfold from the comfort of your bed.

Wining and dining

The Skyline restaurant opened in 2019 and has garnered a reputation for good seasonal dishes using locally-sourced ingredients. The smoked haddock and chive fishcake was an excellent starter and we followed it with sea bass. Other mains include seared guinea fowl, venison bourguignon, haddock, gnocchi and sweet potato and peanut curry. Two courses are £29.50 and it’s £34.95 for three. There is also a cocktail menu which includes ten or so well-known favourites.

Worth getting out of bed for

A bathroom in one of the rooms at Tynecastle Park Hotel. Pic: Tynecastle Park Hotel

It’s close to town. Haymarket Station is a 20-minute walk, while the west end of Princes Street is another 10 minutes away. Gorgie Road is well served by buses and the hotel is handy for Murrayfield and the O2 Academy concert venue. Both are walkable and TPH expects to pick up trade from visiting rugby fans and gig-goers.

On site, there is the Hearts museum and club shop, both worth a visit. Nearby pubs include the Tynecastle Arms, the Athletic Arms (Diggers) and the Roseburn Bar, all popular Jambo haunts, festooned with old Hearts pics.

Little extras

The rooms are quiet and have huge beds (made by a Hearts fan whose business is bed manufacturing). The fresh milk in the fridge is a nice touch as are the Jammie Dodgers. No pies, alas.The corridor walls feature some impressive black and white pics of Scotland, all taken by Donald Ford, a Hearts hero of the 1970s turned landscape photographer.

Pic: Tynecastle Park Hotel

Guestbook comments

A unique experience made even better by the wonderfully attentive staff. Hearts have striven to ensure this hotel will appeal to anyone.

Tynecastle Park Hotel McLeod St, Edinburgh EH11 2NL. Plaza rooms from £90; Roseburn rooms from £117. Opening offer of dinner, bed and breakfast is available from £150 per room per night, based on two people sharing. Limited guest parking also available. www.tynecastleparkhotel.com

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