Balmoral Hotel
| The Balmoral | |
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 Location within Edinburgh city centre
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| General information | |
| Location | 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°57′10.33″N 3°11′22.23″W / 55.9528694°N 3.1895083°W |
| Opened | 1902 |
| Owner | Rocco Forte Hotels |
| Management | Rocco Forte Hotels |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 188 |
| Number of suites | 20 |
| Number of restaurants | 2 |
| Number of bars | 2 |
| Parking | Valet parking |
| Website | |
| The Balmoral | |
The Balmoral is a luxury five-star property and landmark in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the heart of the city at the east end of Princes Street, the main shopping street beneath the Edinburgh Castle rock, and the southern edge of the New Town.
Resulting from a competition in 1895, the hotel originally opened on 15 October 1902. It was designed by architect William Hamilton Beattie and for most of the twentieth century was known as the North British Station Hotel or simply the N.B., a traditional railway hotel built for the North British Railway Company adjacent to their Waverley Station. The North British kept the same name until 1988 when the hotel closed for a major refurbishment.
The building’s architecture is Victorian, influenced by the traditional Scottish baronial style. It was stripped of most of its ornamental stone balconies in its refurbishment, and while remaining ornate, is visibly "scarred".
On 12 June 1991 Sir Sean Connery officially re-opened the hotel as The Balmoral, Gaelic for 'majestic dwelling', following a £23-million refurbishment. A plaque to commemorate the occasion appears in the hotel lobby beside the elevators.
Its traditional rival has always been the Caledonian Hotel at the west end of Princes Street; this was once the station hotel for the now-demolished Princes Street Station, on the Caledonian Railway.
The Balmoral is now part of Rocco Forte Hotels owned by Sir Rocco Forte.
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Wikipedia