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The Independent
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
The best hotels in Glasgow for boutique stays with fine heritage
Glasgow receives a fraction of Edinburgh's visitor numbers yet packs in just as much cultural capital. Its architecture spans the Gothic Glasgow Cathedral and the Art Nouveau edifices of Charles Rennie Mackintosh; its museums include the imposing Baroque of Kelvingrove Gallery and the internationally important Burrell Collection. Music fans dream of treading the sprung dancefloor of the Barrowland Ballroom, or celebrating Scotland 's folk scene at Celtic Connections festival. The food, too, is not the deep-fried fare you'd expect: these days it's less munchie box, more Michelin-starred dining. Until recently, Glasgow's accommodation reflected its status as Scotland's largest economy: sterile, multinational chain hotels meant a stay here was more business than pleasure. Thankfully, that's now changed: boutique brands and independent hoteliers have moved in, bringing new life to neglected tenements or heritage buildings. Whether your taste is for sybaritic spas, tartan-drenched Scottishness or a family-run restaurant with rooms, there's much to choose from in the Dear Green Place. Best hotels in Glasgow 2025 1. Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel & Spa What is arguably Glasgow's most luxurious five-star hotel sits in an ideal spot west of the city centre – just minutes from Kelvingrove Park, indie venue King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and several theatres. Behind the Georgian facade, you'll find Scandi-chic rooms: cool grey furnishings, marble bathrooms and tufted headboards. Restaurant Iasg (from the Gaelic for 'fish') serves up Shetland mussels and Cumbrae oysters. But the biggest draw is the Hebrides-inspired spa: there's an array of therapy pools, a frigid 'snow shower' and ice fountain to boost circulation, and treatments using seaweed skincare products from Stornoway-based brand Ishga. 2. Celentano's hotel Restaurants with rooms are usually reserved for rural areas, but Celentano's brings this intimate, inn-like experience to the big city. You'll want to eat at their Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant most nights: the smoked cod doughnuts might be the best thing you'll try in Glasgow. There are eight individually styled bedrooms, to which restaurant staff bring a breakfast of fresh sourdough, seasonal compote and more every morning. The East End location is excellent, right next to Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis, as well as the underrated Friends of Glasgow Royal Infirmary Museum. 3. One Devonshire Gardens by Hotel du Vin Great West End hotels are relatively rare, so this is one to bookmark if you're keen to be near the Botanic Gardens and the much-loved 111 by Modou restaurant. Although, as befits the Hotel du Vin brand, there's a highly regarded restaurant right here, supplying artful Scottish-French plates and access to an extensive wine cellar. Room decor is sensitive to the building's Victorian history; florals, vintage dark-wood furniture and original art. The number of bay windows apparently increases with each price band. Address: 1 Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow G12 0UX 4. House of Gods hotel It's not for everyone. But for a few people, it'll be perfect. Maximalist excess is this hotel's modus operandi: rooms overflow with velvet drapes, animal print, brass and leather. It's overwhelmingly pitched at couples, with packages such as 'Treat Me Like I'm Famous' adding a VIP rider with golden rose petals, balloons, Prosecco, cocktails and a mimosa breakfast. The assumption appears to be that you won't leave your room – but if you do, you'll find the peerless Merchant City cocktail scene right outside, with The Amsterdam and The Absent Ear, two of the city's best bars, just two moments away. 5. The Address hotel This four-star hotel is the address for city-centre shopping – a short hop from 'style mile' Buchanan Street, and a few minutes from both major train stations if you want to pop over to Edinburgh for the day. Befitting the fashionable location, rooms are all mid-century lines, warm tones and retro-print curtains. Complement your retail therapy with holistic therapy in the wellness suite, which has heated loungers, and a well-appointed gym and a sauna with a pink Himalayan salt wall. Casual dining restaurant NORTH serves elevated pub grub; try the haggis bonbons or black pudding sausage roll. 6. The Social Hub Glasgow hotel When Glasgow's The Social Hub opened in Merchant City in 2024, it was the first UK outpost of the B Corp hotel group, founded in the Netherlands by Edinburgh man Charlie MacGregor. It's particularly suited to solo travellers, with a full calendar of ice-breaking events: there are exercise classes, cookery workshops with Glasgow chefs, and foodie pop-ups from local spots such as El Perro Negro. Indeed, there's little reason to leave: there's a gym, a restaurant, and a coworking space, plus clean-lined rooms with dedicated workspaces. A rooftop bar is due to open later in 2025. 7. Native Glasgow hotel Could this be the best view in Glasgow? The penthouse rooms of this marvellous heritage hotel look right onto George Square and the City Chambers, the interiors of which famously use more marble than the Vatican. Native Glasgow was formerly the headquarters of the Anchor Line Shipping Company; the Art Deco exterior retains its shell details and nautical emblems, from which the 1920s-themed interiors take inspiration. This concept reaches its peak in the Anchor Line Restaurant & Bar, which serves Scottish seafood and creative, Prohibition-inspired cocktails in a speakeasy-style space. 8. The Pipers' Tryst hotel For something a little different, book into a room above the (thankfully soundproofed) National Piping Centre. From the welcome single-malt whisky to the tartan-swaddled rooms, this is about as Scottish as you can get. The 'Pipe Major's Breakfast' uses smoked salmon and haddock from Glasgow-based fishmonger The Fish People. Plan to spend at least an hour in the museum, which narrates the long and complex history of the bagpipes in Scotland and beyond. Guided tours with a piper run on Fridays and Saturdays throughout summer and include a brief lesson on a chanter (the precursor to a full set of pipes). 9. Dakota Glasgow hotel The Dakota brand was founded by the late, great Glasgow hotelier Ken McCulloch (who also founded Malmaison), and aims to offer premium stays at an affordable price point. The Glasgow branch certainly delivers: all the vintage-inspired rooms include Sky TV and Chromecast, plus complimentary access to a nearby gym. The swish Jack's Bar serves craft cocktails inspired by notable Scottish characters, and the Grill restaurant has a crowd-pleasing pan-European menu. The location's not bad, either in the west of the city centre, near the Glasgow Film Theatre and a short walk from Kelvingrove Park. Address: 179 W Regent St, Glasgow G2 4DP 10. AC Hotel Glasgow Glasgow's Grade A-listed former Parish Hall has found new life as part of the AC by Marriott brand. 'Heritage' rooms and suites are in the old red sandstone building and are worth the extra outlay if you like period features; cheaper rooms are in the modern extension and have floor-to-ceiling windows. Either way, you'll benefit from a brilliant location just seconds from George Square. The Nordic-inspired Hazel restaurant is notable for its fantastic (and great value) afternoon tea: think parma ham and fig open sandwiches or strawberry and matcha Battenbergs.
Irish Post
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
A Glasgow flute with Irish roots
IF LIKE me, you love the sound of the flute in Irish traditional music, you'll be happy at the recent abundance of just such releases. And Glasgow-born Frances Morton's debut solo album Sliocht is another, very welcome addition, not least from one of a growing number of women flute players making their mark. Morton grew up learning piano at a young age, then learned whistle and flute at St Roch's CCÉ in Glasgow, and as a teenager she performed in the same line-up as Matt Molloy at Celtic Connections. She has won several All-Ireland medals and now lives in Ireland. The rich tone and warm fluidity of Morton's playing is in evidence from the first track, an upbeat set of jigs - Mayo Set: The Man In The Bog/Farewell To President Kennedy/Johnny Henry's , the first two written by Brendan Tonra, the third by Johnny Henry (both from Mayo, hence the collective title). Sliocht by Frances Morton She learnt the tunes, in her mid-teens from Belfast flute player Marcas Ó Murchú when he ran a workshop at the Comhaltas branch she went to. The choice of accompanying players is exemplary and the fit evident from the off, with very fine rhythm from former Solas guitarist Eamon McElholm and Glasgow CCÉ stalwart Mark Maguire on bodhrán. When I saw Morton launch the album earlier in the year in front of family and friends amongst others at Celtic Connections in her home city, she ended with The Congress/Trip To Cullinstoown/The Cameronian , a sprightly set of reels from the album collectively titled Frank's Set , as they were favourites of her late father, to whom the album is dedicated. The tunes, particularly The Congress and The Cameronian , are widely played but Morton gives them added drive and brightness, doubtless inspired by the memory of her dad, his love of the music and support of her; without him she says the album ' would not have been possible .' Ciarán Tourish, previously with Altan, joins the accompanying players on the last two tunes, his fiddle playing sounding made to measure alongside Morton's lively flute, as it does on the couple of other tracks he plays on. Lady Mary Ramsey , a Scottish strathspey, paired with Miss Ramsey's , a reel with a similar melody, are delightful, showcasing Morton's steady tune, flowing style. Miss Irene Meldrum's Welcome To Bon Accord is the other Scottish tune on the album, a march this time, which she learnt from Scottish fiddler player Aidan O'Rourke. It's a beautiful tune written by WG Meldrum of Aberdeen to welcome the birth of his daughter Irene in 1911. Morton has recently performed with sean-nós singer, Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde in concert and various TV productions, and he sings on one track, Malaí Mhómhar , a song from eighteenth century Ulster. Resonant singing, piano and harmonium make for an enchantingly different feel from the rest of the album, Morton playing the melody mid-song. Fonn Mall , a wonderful slow air, demonstrates Morton's control and skilful ornamentation, and is a highlight on an album full of top-class musicianship. Available from: See More: Flute, Frances Morton, Glasgow, Irish Music, Sliocht I
The Herald Scotland
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
KELI at The Royal Lyceum: a bittersweet mix of sadness and euphoria
When the massed ranks of Scottish brass champions the Whitburn Band join forces at the end of Lau accordionist and guitarist Martin Green's new play, alternating with the Fife based Kingdom Brass, the sound they make together is one of unity laced with a bittersweet mix of sadness and euphoria. As the culmination of a show about working class experience in a former mining town decimated by the 1984/85 Miners' Strike, it is a finale that speaks volumes about everything that went before. This is embodied by the seventeen-year-old firebrand who gives Green's play its title. Keli's everyday life may be in chaos as she tends to her mum inbetween shifts at the supermarket and a failing college course, but when she plays her tenor horn with the local brass band she comes alive. Keli's musical skills are recognised by bandleader Brian, who promotes her to soloist for a competition at the Royal Albert Hall. Read more reviews from Neil Cooper: While Keli makes it to London, trying to make the Megabus home takes her on a different path, and she ends up playing her horn at a techno fuelled fetish club. All this is framed by a back and forth between Keli and the ghost of miner and trade unionist Willie Knox after Keli ends up falling down an old pit. Willie's own tenure in the band is spoken of with awe, and his presence is a wake up call for Keli to channel her own talents. Developed from an audio drama and a one off live rendition at the Celtic Connections festival, Green's play taps into the power of music to reclaim and reinvigorate a local culture. Artist Jeremy Deller did something similar in the late 1990s with the soon to be revived Acid Brass, in which a brass band played arrangements of Acid House classics from the post-industrial north. Keli's own clubbing experience here confirms Deller's belief that both brass bands and techno are cross-generational forms of folk art rooted at the heart of specific communities. Forty year after the Miners' Strike, they remain vital forms of expression in a play where music becomes salvation and totem of hope. Green's brass-led underscore played live by a small ensemble led by tenor player Andrew McMillan runs throughout Bryony Shanahan's co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland and Green's Lepus company. Liberty Black gives a mercurial performance as Keli, with Phil McKee making a touching Brian, who understands the need to believe in something in order to survive. Billy Mack as Willie Knox believes this too. It's only life that gets in the way, be it in the form of Keli's mum Jayne, played by Karen Fishwick, or Olivia Hemmati's Amy, who works with Keli. If the band steal the show as they preserve a sense of belonging rooted in the past, Keli's getting of wisdom points to a brave new world beyond.
Scotsman
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Innis & Gunn begins search for Scotland's top beer taster
Fancy free beer and VIP tickets? They could all be yours – all you need is a love of lager. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Innis & Gunn, the award-winning Scottish beer brand, is on the hunt for Scotland's most discerning pint lover, with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that could land you the title of official Beer Taster. To mark the launch of their on-pack promotion this month, Innis & Gunn have teamed up with video interview platform Willo to bring the job interview experience to life, quite literally, with a pop-up booth at The Social Hub in Glasgow. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The booth, which stopped busy Glaswegians in their tracks, invited passers-by to answer a few tastefully curated questions, ranging from the serious ('Describe the flavour of a pint in five words') to the slightly more frothy ('Let's see you pull an imaginary pint'). Innis & Gunn Pint Pro The result was a hilarious reel of passionate pitches from potential pint professionals. Applicants who impress the judges could be in for more than just bragging rights: successful beer tasters will be rewarded with VIP tickets to Scotland's top cultural events, including Belladrum, Edinburgh Christmas Market, Celtic Connections, and even The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Successful candidates will also have access to new beers and a training session at the Innis & Gunn Taproom. Five beer tasters will be selected for a full year, effective from July 1 2025. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Dougal Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn said: 'Glasgow's got personality by the pint, so it made perfect sense to kick off our search for Scotland's top beer taster right here. Innis & Gunn Pint Pro 'We wanted to do something that felt less like a job interview and more like a laugh down the pub, and that's exactly what happened at The Social Hub. 'With help from our friends at Willo, we've captured some brilliant characters who know their way around a beer, and we can't wait to see who else throws their hat in the ring. This could genuinely be the best gig in the country - so get your applications in as soon as you can.'
STV News
08-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Scottish brewer launches search for year long 'beer tasters'
An award winning Scottish brewer has launched a search for year long 'beer tasters'. Innis & Gunn have teamed up with video interview platform Willo to search for five candidates to be offered the position of Beer Taster for a full year, effective from July 1, 2025. Successful applicants will gain early access to new beers and will receive VIP tickets to some of Scotland's top cultural events, including Belladrum, Edinburgh Christmas Market, Celtic Connections, and even The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Full training will also be provided at the Innis & Gunn taproom. The process started with a pop-up booth at The Social Hub in Glasgow, where passer-by's were invited in to ask questions, ranging from 'describe the flavour of a pint in five words' to 'let's see you pull an imaginary pint'. You apply for the next pop up booth on the Innis & Gunn website. Dougal Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn said: 'Glasgow's got personality by the pint, so it made perfect sense to kick off our search for Scotland's top beer taster right here. 'We wanted to do something that felt less like a job interview and more like a laugh down the pub, and that's exactly what happened at The Social Hub. 'With help from our friends at Willo, we've captured some brilliant characters who know their way around a beer, and we can't wait to see who else throws their hat in the ring. This could genuinely be the best gig in the country – so get your applications in as soon as you can.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
