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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.
The Independent
14-05-2025
- The Independent
Everything you can now book on Airbnb: From massages to private chefs
Airbnb has announced that it is expanding beyond just offering short-term holiday lets, and is now providing ' services ' from in-home meals cooked by a professional chef to strength workout sessions with personal trainers while you travel. For the past 17 years, the holiday letting agency has been focusing on helping people list their properties for guests to stay in, whether for business or leisure, across the world. Now, Airbnb is taking its travel experiences even further this summer by launching services across 10 categories that guests can book to enhance their stay. Alongside chef-cooked meals and personal training sessions, Airbnb users can book massages by certified therapists, as well as spa treatments, hair, make-up and nails appointments, and personalised photography sessions to capture memories from their trip. Catering and prepared meals can also be booked if cooking is not on the agenda during your getaway. These services will be launched across 260 cities, with new offerings and locations dropping regularly in the Airbnb app. Service hosts will be vetted by Airbnb for quality and experience, submitting relevant licenses and certificates, and will display their qualifications, offerings and pricing on listing pages. Airbnb says some hosts will be renowned in their fields, including Michelin-starred chefs, award-winning photographers and elite celebrity trainers. The price ranges will vary from service to location, but the holiday lettings agency says many will include an entry offering below $50 (£37.50). While the services can be used on the road, you don't need to stay at an Airbnb to hire a trainer, book a massage or use any other services, as these can also be scheduled at your home. Those who are travelling and want to immerse themselves in a destination can also book an 'Airbnb Experience ', which includes tours and activities led by a local. These could involve food tours, dining experiences, museum exclusions, watersports and wildlife days out or wellness sessions led by a local host. Some experiences that have already launched include discovering how Notre-Dame is being rebuilt through the eyes of Axelle Ponsonnet, an architect from the restoration team, during a trip to Paris, or a tour around Harry Potter filming locations in London with TikTok historian David Harry. The experiences are designed to be social meet-ups, and later this year users will have the ability to see who is going before they book, message the group or individual guests, and stay in touch afterwards. To accommodate the change-ups at Airbnb, the app is getting a makeover. It will give you a detailed itinerary of your check-in details and day-to-day views of what services and experiences you've booked, as well as recommendations when you arrive in the area. Brian Chesky, Airbnb co-founder and CEO, said: 'Seventeen years ago, we changed the way people travel. More than two billion guests later, Airbnb is synonymous with a place to stay. 'With the launch of services and experiences, we're changing travel again. Now you can Airbnb more than an Airbnb. 'People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space,' added Mr Chesky. 'Now, we're giving you the best of both worlds – amazing homes with services that make them even more special.'
