Gleneagles Townhouse
Gleneagles Townhouse has been named the best hotel in the UK in a new ranking by Time Out, the international travel magazine, putting the Edinburgh landmark locations ahead of some of the most famous luxury hotels in the country.
The five-star hotel on St Andrew Square took first place in Time Out’s list of the 20 best hotels in the UK for 2026, ahead of The Newt in Somerset and London’s famous Claridge’s.
Gleneagles Townhouse opened its doors on 6 June 2022 as the first city outpost of the famous Gleneagles hotel in Perthshire.
Time Out praised the Edinburgh hotel for combining the character of its country cousin with a distinctly urban atmosphere, highlighting its service, Scottish identity, rooftop bar and central location.
Its review gave the hotel five stars and singled out the interiors, canopy beds and floor-to-ceiling sash windows, as well as The Spence restaurant.
Time Out Edinburgh expert Dayna McAlpine said: “Gleneagles Townhouse is the Edinburgh little sister to Gleneagles, the five-star luxury hotel in Scotland’s Ochi Hills. Think of her as Gleneagles’ cooler, sexier city sibling. The Edinburgh outpost has an arty, pastel-hued look, a stylish crowd and a cracking rooftop bar, but still maintains all the things we love about the original, from its razor-sharp service to its glorious Scottishness – just without the clay pigeon shooting and the horses.
“Rooms are gorgeously furnished with canopy beds and floor-to-ceiling sash windows, and the restaurant, The Spence, is one of our favourites in Edinburgh.”
The Townhouse occupies a prominent position at 39 St Andrew Square, within a few minutes’ walk of Princes Street and Waverley station, with a tram stop directly opposite.
Time Out currently lists rooms from £340 a night. The hotel has 33 bedrooms, ranging from smaller Nook rooms to its largest Master Bedrooms overlooking St Andrew Square. The interiors combine restored period details with wooden floors, antique rugs, rich fabrics and contemporary furnishings.
Its centrepiece is The Spence, the all-day restaurant created within the building’s spectacular former banking hall.
Upstairs, Lamplighters is a rooftop bar reserved for hotel guests and members, offering views across Edinburgh’s New Town. Beneath the hotel, the former bank vault has been transformed into The Strong Rooms, a gym and wellness space with treatment rooms, an infrared sauna and cryotherapy chamber.
The building was previously occupied by the British Linen Bank and later Bank of Scotland. Gleneagles acquired 37–39 St Andrew Square in 2017 and began an extensive restoration later that year.
The project took around four and a half years, with historic architectural details retained while the interiors were redesigned for the hotel, restaurant and private members’ club.
The Witchery, the famously theatrical hotel and restaurant close to Edinburgh Castle, was placed 14th in the UK and named the most unique hotel in the ranking. Time Out praised its nine suites, historic setting and extravagant interiors.