A planning application has been submitted by Artisan Real Estate to the City of Edinburgh Council for the transformation of a sandstone office building on the edge of Edinburgh’s New Town into a hotel.

Albany House, located at 58 Albany Street on the corner of the capital’s Broughton Street is a five-storey building constructed in the 1980s and was designed to reflect the adjacent Georgian neoclassical town houses along Albany Street.

It will be turned into a 102-bedroom city centre hotel with much of the external structure of the building retained, whilst replacing the top floor facade with a contemporary new cladding and finish to meet current building standards.  

David Westwater, Artisan’s managing director for Scotland, said: “This design proposal will bring continued interest and investment to a vibrant corner of Edinburgh’s eastern city centre. The existing sandstone building is well-suited to hotel development with high levels of natural daylight and an established entrance area.

“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.”

Artisan have agreed terms with Whitbread to operate the completed hotel under its popular hub by Premier Inn brand.