Glasgow’s latest luxury hotel is soaring high
Grasshoppers wows guests with style, service and comfort, and beats the drum for Scottish art
Tuesday 22 November 2011
It may be small, but Glasgow’s latest luxury hotel – Grasshoppers Glasgow – is flying high after soaring through the ranks of a popular travel website to become one of the city’s best rated hotels.
The new penthouse hotel has wowed guests with its stylish contemporary rooms, stunning views overlooking Glasgow, and eye catching displays of Scottish art, including photographs by former Buzzcocks drummer John Maher.
And there was another boost for the team at Grasshoppers this week when Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, officially opened the new penthouse hotel.
Staff at the hotel – located in the heart of Glasgow’s bustling financial and shopping centre – are delighted with the response from customers since it welcomed its first guests in the summer.
The 30 bed boutique hotel is located on the sixth floor of the city’s historic Caledonian Chambers building, overlooking Central Station, built by celebrated Glasgow architect James Miller, the visionary behind many of Glasgow’s best loved buildings.
The derelict top floor of the building was painstakingly refurbished and transformed into a £1.25 million boutique hotel, in a joint venture with Network Rail.
The hotel’s central location, sandwiched between Buchanan Street and the International Financial Services District, and its focus on service, style and value - rooms are available from just £85 per night - have proved a winning formula with business travellers and holidaymakers. Grasshoppers has become a firm favourite on TripAdvisor, overtaking leading international brands to become one of the top rated hotels in Glasgow.
The hotel’s Scandinavian style bedrooms feature Caledonian oak floors, ash laminate furniture, specially designed and made for Grasshoppers, handmade king size beds with Egyptian cotton sheets, and individually designed wallpaper and wood paneled walls.
The stylish, comfortable bedrooms enjoy views across Europe’s largest glazed roof overlooking Central Station and across the city to one of Glasgow’s masterpiece buildings by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the Light House.
All guests enjoy complimentary breakfast, and free wifi internet access, and every room features LED TVs with SKY HD, offering SKY Sports and SKY Movies. Guests also receive free Grasshoppers treats throughout their stay – freshly baked scones, fresh ground coffee, bottled water and even tubes of Smarties.
And from next month, home cooked evening meals will be served every night in The Kitchen, with the emphasis on traditional favourites such as stew, fish pies, steak and classic Scottish desserts such as Cranachan.
The hotel is run by husband and wife team Sean and Joanne McGivern, who lead a team of 10 employees.
Mr Munn said: “We are amazed and very humbled at the response we have received from our guests, who have really warmed to the Grasshoppers approach of providing service, comfort and value for money.
“In a market dominated by international chains, it’s difficult for smaller, independent hotels to make their mark. We’ve tried to create a different kind of hotel, with many of the comforts of a traditional luxury hotel but where the feeling of home is central to the hotel experience. It is essential to Grasshoppers that our guests feel at home throughout their stay.”
He added: “We are extremely grateful to Glasgow City Council who have been very helpful to us, particularly during the complex renovation of the building, and to the team at Glasgow City Marketing Bureau who have been hugely supportive. They are a credit to the city.”
Councillor Gordon Matheson, chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “Glasgow has an outstanding range of top-quality hotels, and I am delighted by the success of Grasshoppers as one of the latest additions to this roster. As the city becomes an ever more popular tourist destination, our ability to offer a range of hotels becomes very important, and a penthouse hotel such as this plays a vital role. I wish Grasshoppers Glasgow every success in the future.”
Contemporary images of Glasgow and Scotland adorn the walls throughout the hotel, including engravings of city landmarks by well known Scottish artist Ian McNicol, screenprints by Glasgow artist Rachel Duckhouse, and striking images of Glasgow’s Buchanan Street by Ayrshire artist Michelle Campbell.
The hotel also showcases works by former Buzzcocks drummer John Maher, now a Harris based photographer who specialises in capturing evocative night times images of Lewis and Harris.
Maher himself recently stayed as a guest at the hotel.
He said: “I think it’s wonderful that a hotel in the centre of Glasgow is choosing to showcase images of Lewis and Harris to its UK and international clientele. I was delighted when they asked if I would like to display some of my prints at Grasshoppers. Having stayed at Grasshoppers myself, it’s good to see a Scottish hotel showcasing Scottish art in a way that reaches such a diverse audience.”
Mr Munn added: “Our art displays have become something of a talking point for guests, particularly John’s stunning night-time images of Lewis and Harris. When we explain that they’re the work of the former Buzzcocks drummer, now living in Harris, they’re amazed!”
Grasshoppers Glasgow is also a sponsor of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and plans to entertain hotel guests with Jazz performances.
Notes for the Editor
Grasshopper has been wowing guests on TripAdvisor and other websites. Here is a representative selection of comments from TripAdvisor:
- “feels like staying with friends”
- “the warmth of the staff made it feel almost home from home. I couldn't fault this hotel if I tried, would highly recommend!”
- “Comfortable room, charming people, lovely breakfast: all just a hop from Central Station”
- “a truly great place to stay if you are in Glasgow…A modern, just refurbished hotel that manages to mix a really friendly service with modern classy facilities and rooms. I travel a lot and I haven’t found anywhere that compares with the ethos of this hotel, it really is something special.”
- “a world away from the corporate chains. Lovely people who really do treat you as a valued guest.”
- Very smart idea in a very smart location. This is no ordinary concept; they want you to feel at home, to feel welcome. Starting afresh is always good. Big TV's, fully working bathroom 'pods', fresh coffee, the communal kitchen you've always wanted at home. What a brilliant find.
A review on the Travel Editor website – www.thetraveleditor.com - described Grasshoppers as “the new secret in Glasgow … an elegant hotel which sits on top of Central Station …kitted out in cool white and grey, with modern, stylish fittings.”
John Bird, founder of the Big Issue magazine, was one of the hotel's earliest guests. "Stayed at Grasshopper Hotel Glasgow. This is how hotels should be. Like your family," he tweeted after his stay.
Images of Grasshoppers Glasgow are available on request. Contact info@newhorizon-media.co.uk
-ENDS-
More information:
Donald Morrison, New Horizon Media
0141 848 6627/07915 853129
