Planning consent has been granted to transform a sandstone office building on the edge of Edinburgh’s New Town into a sustainable 102-bedroom city centre hotel.
Regeneration specialist Artisan Real Estate is now set to progress with the redevelopment of Albany House, with completion scheduled for summer 2027. Artisan have agreed terms with Whitbread plc to operate the completed hotel under its popular hub by Premier Inn brand
The five-storey Albany House was constructed in the 1980s and was designed to reflect the adjacent Georgian neoclassical town houses along Albany Street. The current occupiers are relocating to new offices in the city centre in 2026.
Welcoming the planning consent for Albany House, Artisan’s Managing Director for Scotland, David Westwater, says: “This exciting hotel development will bring continued interest and investment to a vibrant corner of Edinburgh’s eastern city centre.
“We are pleased to be once again working with Whitbread to create a modern and contemporary hotel interior providing the high levels of insulation and energy technology, delivering both a sustainable and attractive addition to Edinburgh’s successful hospitality sector. The existing sandstone building is well-suited to hotel development with high levels of natural daylight and an established entrance area.”
He adds: “Albany House is the latest in a succession of high-profile planning proposals delivered by Artisan in Edinburgh’s city centre during the last 12 months and reinforces our stated commitment to bring substantial investment coupled with high quality development to the heart of Scotland’s capital.”
Whitbread currently welcomes close to a million visitors to its established network of 14 Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotels within the City of Edinburgh Council area. The business calculates its guests staying at these hotels generate more than £32 million in visitor expenditure to the Edinburgh economy every year.
Jill Anderson, Acquisitions Manager for Whitbread, comments: “Albany House is an excellent location for a hub by Premier Inn hotel, and I am very pleased to be working with Artisan to expand our footprint in the city in a sustainable way through the proposed conversion of the 1980s office building.
“Our hub by Premier Inn hotels are designed to appeal to budget, short-stay travellers, looking to stay in the most interesting and connected city centre locations. It offers all the comfort, consistency, and reliability of Premier Inn, but with a smaller bedroom and the format allows us to offer great value rooms in the most vibrant places.”
She adds: “Premier Inn has been part of Edinburgh’s hospitality scene for more than 30 years. We’re incredibly proud to have built a network of popular, good-value hotels across the city, and we see great potential for further investment driven by our own high occupancy in the city and the fact that budget hotels like Premier Inn account for just 20% of the city’s bedroom stock.”
The Albany House planning proposal follows Artisan’s successful application to transform the city’s historic Caledonian Brewery into a new residential neighbourhood which received planning consent from CEC in May 2025. The developer is also progressing with the homes-led regeneration of a vacant office block on the city’s Ferry Road, to the north of the city centre.
