The Caledonian

Known locally as "the Caley," the hotel was originally the Caledonian Railway's terminus hotel — built in 1903 in red sandstone to match the station next door, which has since been demolished, leaving the hotel standing like a magnificent orphan at the western end of Princes Street. The views of Edinburgh Castle from the upper floors are among the best in the city. 241 rooms, the Pompadour restaurant, and a Guerlain spa. The Waldorf Astoria plates came down in 2024 — it is now a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel, mid-way through a redevelopment pushing it past 300 rooms — but the building's personality, solidly Scottish and warmly grand, predates any chain by a century.