The Caledonian

The Caledonian is a five-star hotel in Edinburgh’s West End, standing at the west end of Princes Street. Built in 1903 by the Caledonian Railway company, it occupies the site of the former railway terminus. Designed by architects John More Dick Peddie and George Washington Browne, the building blends Louis XV style with red sandstone façades. The hotel was erected above the station’s V-shaped stone structure, which replaced a wooden station damaged by fire in 1890. Its grand arches once provided access to the railway below, and the station clock from before the fire has been preserved inside. The hotel’s history reflects Edinburgh’s railway age and later transformations. It opened as the Caledonian Station Hotel, rival to the North British Station Hotel at the other end of Princes Street. After merging with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923, the hotel was renovated, converting its Louis XIV drawing room into the Pompadour restaurant. The station closed in 1965, allowing the hotel to expand with a new wing. In 2000, Hilton International bought the hotel, later refurbishing it as part of the Waldorf Astoria brand in 2011. Visitors find a grand hotel with 241 rooms, a spa, and public spaces that include Peacock Alley. This area, once the station concourse, now serves as a bar and lounge with the original station clock. The Pompadour restaurant was refurbished in 2021 and renamed Dean Banks at The Pompadour, while Grazing by Mark Greenaway offers Scottish dining. The hotel’s interiors were redesigned in the 1950s by the Nicholson brothers, and further renovations are planned to increase capacity to over 300 rooms by 2026.