Our Brief
We were been appointed to complete the refurbishment and rebrand of a prominent hotel within the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, to the iconic Four Points by Sheraton brand.
Craig McKie, our Creative Director & Co-Founder, said of the appointment:
“…working with a major global brand is always good but taking a brand with a very American look and tailoring it for the European market is a great opportunity.”
The project included the transformation of the building in its entirety - the refurbishment of all 66 bedrooms including adjustments to the existing ensuites, and upgrades to the bedroom corridors to reflect the Four Points by Sheraton prototype design. The ground floor social spaces were remodeled to maximise the floorplan whilst the office space on levels one to three was transformed into an additional three guestrooms. Bell & Swift have designed a bespoke bar and restaurant design that makes the most of its situation in the buzzing Haymarket area and close to Murrayfield stadium to attract the local community to enjoy the space as well as hotel residence to stay and have a bite to eat, a quiet drink or watch the rugby with friends. Guest experience is also enhanced through the addition of an outdoor terrace – a relaxing, al fresco, public space which will further enhance street presence and attract footfall.
The design narrative for the refurbishment reflects the vibrancy of surrounding Haymarket – home of Scottish Rugby. The common areas are designed with the community in mind, weaving in the story of the locale into each space’s artwork and object d’art.
Our Approach
The focus for a large proportion of the hotel’s public areas is to create social spaces – including one dedicated to F&B - that welcomes the local community.
Craig continues:
“The client was very keen to take advantage of a great location and give the guests and local community somewhere warm, welcoming, and vibrant to enjoy a craft beer.
On this the client and brand were very aligned so; it was fun for the team to get involved and design spaces which will make that happen.”
For these public spaces a warm and inviting atmosphere is created by a refined palette and greenery, whilst exposed brick and industrial details creates a casual environment; a place that can truly be enjoyed by all. This space will also enjoy an abundance of natural light, through large windows which invite people to use the new al fresco terrace space – designed for open air socialising in the heart of bustling Haymarket. To protect against the Scottish weather, continental style awnings will be included whilst warm, contemporary light fixtures invite guests to stay outdoors, well into the evening.
Adjoining the ground floor social area is a private function space. The theme of warmth and accessibility continue here, but with a degree of added polish for corporate hire. Wood and brass detailing accompanied by leather across the FF&E bring added professionalism to the otherwise informal space.
Within the guestrooms themselves, the prototypical “Four Points by Sheraton” design is used throughout, but in-keeping with the character of the common areas. New layouts make sure that space is maximised whilst new FF&E mirror the common areas with wood, rich tones and sumptuous fabrics bringing continuity throughout the hotel.
The ensuites will receive upgrades to detailing to create a polished finish that matches that of the guestrooms. Throughout all spaces the vibrancy of Haymarket and Edinburgh city will be reflected through colourful, watercolour artworks of the area.
The Results
Craig said of the project:
“We faced a few challenges fulfilling the brief. The ceiling height in the bar and restaurant are quite low, therefore we kept the wall and floor finishes fresh and authentic with wall lights rather than ceiling lights to create atmosphere.
The frontage has a lot of glazing which can be an issue for lighting the space, however we saw this as an opportunity to introduce an external awning to help control the light and create an external seating area providing more capacity for the client and hopefully take advantage of the local footfall.”