Hotel Missoni features in the Scotsman

1.06.09

IT IS a far cry from the building’s previous incarnation as a run-down office block used by staff in the early days of the Scottish Parliament. The landmark site on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, which started out as the home of Midlothian County Council, has been transformed, becoming home to the first in a global chain of Italian fashion hotels.

Scotland’s capital was picked by the Missoni dynasty for what promises to become one of the UK’s most fashionable hotels.

The £50 million venture, just yards from the High Court and Parliament Square, will be unveiled a week today, ahead of other planned Missoni hotels in Kuwait, Cape Town, Oman and Brazil.

From its 136 individually designed rooms – complete with custom toiletries, bathrobes and slippers – to its sleek lobby, with its dramatic gateway entrance, giant mosaic urns and stylish cocktail bar, the hotel is expected to be the talk of the city over the next few months.

The fashion chain’s veteran creative director, Rosita Missoni, has also embraced Scotland by commissioning Edinburgh kiltmaker Howie Nicholsby to design outfits for her front-of-house staff, while Charles Rennie Mackintosh-design chairs grace the hotel’s lobby.

Although the top suite at Hotel Missoni will cost around GBP 450 a night, with the standard room rate GBP 210, locals may settle for a GBP 4.50 glass of prosecco or a pint of Peroni for £4.

Tables in its restaurant promise to be sought-after, with the kitchen to be supervised by Mattia Camorani, protegé of Michelin-starred London chef Giorgio Locatelli.

The former Midlothian County Council headquarters were built in 1970 and subsequently became home to Lothian Regional Council in 1975. In 1996, ownership passed to Edinburgh City Council and the building was later occupied by Scottish Parliament workers and used for committee meetings before the opening of the building at Holyrood.

The hotel has been created under a joint venture between Missoni and the Rezidor hotel chain, with banking giant HBOS and Edinburgh developer Kilmartin involved in the wider project. Two other restaurants and a bank branch are expected to open within a few months.

Gordon McKinnon, executive vice-president of brands for Rezidor, added: “We firmly believe Hotel Missoni will raise the bar compared with existing fashion boutique hotels. "We are hoping to open three Missoni hotels a year in future, but this is our first and the only one planned in the UK and Ireland at the moment.”