In its 25th year since opening, the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa is undertaking a multi-million pound refurbishment of all its bedrooms and suites, increasing the number of rooms to 268 and creating an opulent Grand Suite and exclusive ‘Club’ floor.

The refurbishment starts January 2010 and the first phase will be completed by April, with all rooms completed by July 2010.  Each of the bedrooms will undergo a complete transformation, becoming a contemporary, state-of-the-art stylish room. All will feature beautiful spacious bathrooms encapsulated in glass, creating a sense of space with bath and separate walk-in showers.  The work will be undertaken in two phases, in two separate wings of the hotel ensuring minimal disruption to guests.

General Manager of the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, J P Kavanagh, explained:

“Over the years we have continually invested in the hotel including the creation of Europe’s most advanced city spa, One Spa, in 2001. However, it is time to completely improve and enhance the rooms’ product with this sizeable investment in Edinburgh’s largest conference hotel. As the economy begins to recover the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa will be in an enviable position, poised to leverage our renovated product and offer guests Sheraton’s signature brand offerings at one of Scotland’s leading hotels.  We are already starting to see growth in occupancy, particularly in the important corporate market which is very encouraging.  We look forward to welcoming both former and new guests as we celebrate our 25th year in the city.”

Guest feedback and staff input formed a vital part of the planning process.  Hotel management involved everyone from the front desk teams to housekeeping and this feedback has been incorporated into the final design concept.

The design of the new rooms will be both warm and comforting as well as being at the forefront of contemporary design, featuring mood lighting and state of the art technology such as a media hub.  Each room will feature the Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, natural materials, simple colours and soft fabrics with a delicate reference to the local environment with a plaid bed throw and Edinburgh art work, creating an enhanced environment to work, relax and sleep. 

In addition to the refurbished 268 bedrooms a Club floor will be created on the top floor of the hotel, providing guests with an enhanced level of service and a “hotel within a hotel” concept.  All Club floor rooms will include continental breakfast and evening drinks and canapés in the private Club lounge, complimentary wi-fi and Escape at One – use of One Spa’s exclusive top floor facilities including the unique rooftop Hydropool. The exclusive Grand Suite will be the hotel’s most luxurious offering with spectacular views of the iconic Edinburgh Castle.

The design of the Sheraton Grand’s new rooms has been undertaken by MKV Design, a leading interior design company exclusively servicing the international hospitality sector.  The company’s portfolio includes Luxury Collection properties The Romanos in Costa Navarino, Greece, scheduled for opening in 2010, and the Blue Palace Resort & Spa, Crete, as well as the Palmerston Elea Golf Club in Cyprus.

Scottish-based Ogilvie Construction is the main contractor and the Project Manager is Currie & Brown.  Ogilvie has considerable experience delivering high-level building projects in the hotel sector, from budget to five-star properties. 

Globally Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has invested $6 billion in a multi-billion global revitalisation effort as part of a three-year global overhaul.  Sheraton has invested more than $4 billion in new hotels, renovations and signature brand initiatives in North America and another $2 billion in new hotels overseas. Highlights include 70,000 new or newly renovated guestrooms, more than 300 new lobbies featuring the brand’s innovative Link@SheratonSM and more than 100,000 brand new Sheraton Sweet Sleeper all-white, high thread count beds in 211 hotels and 83,000 guestrooms worldwide.