The Principal Edinburgh on George Street has been welcoming hotel guests since 1881. At its heart are five listed Georgian townhouses, built in 1775 as homes for Edinburgh’s most prosperous citizens.
Winner of Scottish Hotel of the Year at the 2017 Scottish Hotel Awards, The Principal is an ideal base from which to explore the city or conduct business. The sensitive, multi-million-pound restoration and refurbishment combines luxurious natural materials such as oak, marble and leather with a palette of colors inspired by the great 19th-century Scottish landscape painters.
A nod to Edinburgh’s rich literary heritage, The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen was once home to acclaimed novelist Susan Ferrier (an equal of Jane Austen, according to Sir Walter Scott), whilst Burr & Co. is a lovely coffee shop with a devoted local following. The rooms at The Principal Edinburgh George Street take their color palette from 19th-century Scottish landscape paintings: from highland glens to forest ferns and mountain heathers. Cool in tone but materially rich, the rooms are comfortable and nod to the best of Scotland’s heritage.
