New 1.7 million square foot development planned for Edinburgh to include luxury hotel

The W Edinburgh hotel will transform the city's skyline

A major new development planned for Edinburgh will include luxury brand W Hotels’ first Scottish property.

The W Edinburgh will be part of the St James redevelopment.

The current shopping centre will be demolished and replaced with up to 250 homes, 30 restaurants, shops and a multi-screen cinema.

An impression of what the new complex would look like (Edinburgh St James/PA)

Completion of the 1.7 million square foot development is expected by 2020 and the new hotel is due to open the following year.

The 214-room hotel will have a rooftop bar and outdoor terrace with views across the city skyline as well as a spa, restaurant and event space.

It will be the second W hotel in the UK, after the Leicester Square hotel in central London which opened in 2011 and recently hosted a karaoke event with tennis champion Serena Williams.

Edinburgh Trams operating on Princes Street in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Michael Wale, of the hotel chain owners Starwood Hotels & Resorts, said: “As an established business hub with a thriving global tourism industry, we are confident that there will be a huge appetite for our innovative lifestyle brand in the Scottish capital.”

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