Grand Central Hotel (Glasgow)

The voco Grand Central Glasgow (usually known by locals by its former name, the Central Hotel) is a large 4-star hotel in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland.

voco Grand Central Glasgow
voco Grand Central Hotel
General information
LocationGlasgow, Scotland, UK
Coordinates55°51′35″N 4°15′29″W
Opening1883 (1883)
OwnerIHG
Design and construction
ArchitectRobert Rowand Anderson
Other information
Number of restaurants2
Website
grandcentral.vocohotels.com

The hotel forms the front of the Glasgow Central railway station on Gordon Street, directly adjoining onto the station concourse. It was one of Glasgow's most prestigious hotels in its heyday, hosting residents as famous as Frank Sinatra and Winston Churchill.

History
voco Grand Central Hotel viewed from south Gordon Street, Glasgow

The hotel was designed by Robert Rowand Anderson, in 'Queen Anne style'; he also furnished the public rooms.[1] The hotel was constructed by the Caledonian Railway and was completed in 1883 as the Central Station Hotel. It was extended, along with the station, in 1901–1906.[1] The hotel extension was designed by James Miller and it opened on 15 April 1907.[1] It was later renamed the Central Hotel. The world's first long-distance television pictures were transmitted to the hotel on 24 May 1927 by John Logie Baird.[2]

Following the break-up of British Transport Hotels in the early 1980s, the hotel was sold in 1983 and passed through the hands of various private operators. It was operated by Choice Hotels International for many years as the Quality Hotel Central Glasgow. In February 2009, The Real Hotel Company plc was forced into administration, and the hotel subsequently closed amid concerns of asbestos contamination and structural deterioration.

In June 2009, it was revealed that Principal Hayley Group had acquired the hotel. They refurbished it and re-opened it as the Grand Central Hotel on 9 September 2010.[3][4] Together with the rest of Glasgow Central railway station, the hotel is protected as a category A listed building.[5]

Principal hotel company was sold to InterContinental Hotels Group in 2018. The hotel closed in 2020 for an extensive renovation and was rebranded within IHG's voco chain as voco Grand Central Glasgow. It will reopen in 2021.[6]

References
  1. Johnston and Hume (1979), pages 38–41.
  2. Interview with Paul Lyons Archived 2 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, historian and Control and Information officer at Glasgow Central Station
  3. Nicoll, Viviene (25 June 2009), Return to Grand Central in £20m hotel revamp, The Evening Times, retrieved 19 August 2009
  4. "£20m refurbishment almost complete at Glasgow's Grand Central Hotel". 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  5. Historic Environment Scotland. "71, 97, 99 Gordon St, and 16, 18, 50 Hope St, Central Station & Hotel, (former Caledonian Railway Station)...  (Category A Listed Building) (LB33029)". Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  6. https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/grand-central-closed-champagne-september-18799033
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