'Vibrant' Edinburgh New Town street set for five-storey Premier Inn budget hotel

Plans have been submitted to transform a 1980s office building on the edge of Edinburgh’s New Town into a 102-bedroom hotel.

The move could see Premier Inn open its latest capital hotel on the corner of Albany Street and Broughton Street, a short distance from the £1 billion St James Quarter.

Regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate said it had submitted a planning application to the City of Edinburgh Council to revamp the office building following the current occupier’s imminent relocation. The firm has agreed terms with hospitality giant Whitbread to operate the completed hotel under its Hub by Premier Inn brand.

The Albany House office block on the corner of Albany Street and Broughton Street in Edinburgh looks set to become another budget hotel.

The proposals would retain much of the external structure of the building while replacing the top floor facade with a “contemporary new cladding and finish” to meet current building standards. The five-storey building was constructed in the 1980s and was designed to reflect the adjacent Georgian neoclassical town houses along Albany Street.

Artisan’s managing director for Scotland, David Westwater, said: “This design proposal will bring continued interest and investment to a vibrant corner of Edinburgh’s eastern city centre. The existing sandstone building is well-suited to hotel development with high levels of natural daylight and an established entrance area.

“We are pleased to be once again working with Whitbread to create a modern and contemporary interior providing high levels of insulation and energy technology, delivering both a sustainable and attractive addition to Edinburgh’s successful hospitality sector.

“Albany House is the latest in a succession of high-profile planning proposals delivered by Artisan in Edinburgh’s city centre during the last 12 months and reinforces our stated commitment to bring substantial investment coupled with high quality development to the heart of Scotland’s capital,” he added.

Jill Anderson, acquisitions manager for Whitbread, said: “Premier Inn has been part of Edinburgh’s hospitality scene for more than 30 years. We’re incredibly proud to have built a network of popular, good-value hotels across the city, and we see great potential for further investment given that budget hotels like Premier Inn account for just 20 per cent of the city’s bedroom stock.

“The Hub by Premier Inn brand is designed to appeal to budget, short-stay travellers. Albany House is an excellent location for us, and I am very pleased to be working with Artisan to expand our footprint in the city in a sustainable way.”

The news comes just weeks after Whitbread submitted a planning application for a new 195-bedroom Premier Inn on Edinburgh’s Festival Square, adjacent to the existing upmarket Sheraton hotel.

The firm has made a commitment to invest more than £21 million in the conversion of the existing office building into the new budget hotel.

After acquiring the 65,350-square-foot office block off Lothian Road from Federated Hermes last year, Whitbread has been preparing a planning application to change the use of the building. Those plans involve converting the 1980s office block and its rear extension into a latest format Premier Inn hotel, incorporating a ground floor restaurant and bar.

Plans for new 195-bedroom Premier Inn unveiled for Edinburgh in 1980s office block revamp