March 12, 2012 - One of Edinburgh’s oldest hotels is to enjoy a new lease of life thanks to a £3m refurbishment and expansion plan by its North East leisure group owners.

The Royal British Hotel at Princes Street –which dates back to the 1820s – is to undergo a major facelift by The Cairn Group, which also owns the Holiday Inn Darlington A1 Scotch Corner, The Holiday Inn Jesmond Newcastle and the DoubleTree by Hilton Newcastle International Airport hotels.

The investment in the Edinburgh hotel, one of the oldest in the city, will see a range of improvements including creating nine additional bedrooms in what was formerly upper level, unused office space.

Work is due to begin on the hotel  - which has been part of The Cairn Group portfolio since 1997 -within the next few weeks and will continue until the end of the year, which includes creating the company’s fourth Fratello’s Italian restaurant on the site.

The hotel owners are also in negotiation with a prestigious, international hotel chain with the aim of rebranding the Royal British Hotel under their name.

The high quality of the refurbishment – which the owners say will “rival anything currently available in Edinburgh” – added to the hotel’s prime location and unparalleled views of the castle, the gardens and Princes Street itself will make it a perfect destination for visitors to the city from across the UK and beyond.

When completed the Royal British Hotel will be an “upscale boutique hotel” which The Cairn Group has pledged to ensure that the tradition and heritage of the building will be maintained.

“The refurbishment and expansion of The Royal British Hotel will prove a massive boost to Princes Street and will offer not only luxury accommodation but also first class conference and restaurant facilities,” said a spokesman for the owners.

Once completed, the hotel will offer a total of 81 bedrooms, along with a range of function and meeting rooms.

About The Cairn Hotel Group
With almost 30 years of experience in exceeding guests’ expectations, the Cairn Hotel Group offers tailor made solutions to the requirements of both leisure and business travellers. Whilst not a hard brand, they are a small collection of individually styled hotels operating under the same banner. This group combines the very best traditions of a family-run hotel group with the kind of sophisticated facilities associated with larger international chains and offers excellent value for money.

Initially comprising of the Tyne Hotel (sold in 1988), the Cairn Hotel Group has experienced dynamic growth since its launch in the early 1980’s. Geographical coverage was strengthened by the gradual acquisition of hotels across the UK with the most recent ones being the 4 star, 145-bedroom Bellhouse Hotel in Buckinghamshire in November 2004 and the franchise Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre in April 2006. Today the group employs more than 1000 people and has begun refurbishing the bars in the larger hotels in the group.

The Cairn Hotel Group operates 17 hotels throughout the UK. They are centrally located in dominant high street locations in major cities such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne as well as in tourist areas as York, Carlisle and Aberdeen. Cairn Hotel Group diverse portfolio ranges from 2 to 4 star hotels (own rating), welcoming both business and leisure guests. In addition to the hotel facilities, the group provides conference and banqueting venues in the larger hotels with restaurants and patrons bars in all hotels.