Hotels in Glasgow
The tourist trade in Glasgow is less distinctly seasonal than in Edinburgh, a city that sees a vast number of visitors every summer thanks to its internationally renowned Festival. However, for Glasgow, the increase in budget-airline flights from the European continent has increased the overall number of tourists, while the city continues to be a popular spot for business conferences. If, therefore, an international association of dermatologists is in town, finding accommodation can be more difficult.
Whenever you're coming, it's a good idea to reserve rooms in advance. Some business-trade oriented hotels offer bargains at weekends, and the overall number of moderate and budget options has increased. Of course, the Internet can be a real treasure trove of reduced room rates, albeit with cancelation penalties. Multiple-night stays can also bring price cuts. The Glasgow and Clyde Valley tourism office (www.seeglasgow.com) in conjunction with VisitScotland (www.visitscotland.com) offers an Information & Booking Hot Line (tel. 0845/225-5121 from within the U.K., or 44-1506/832-121 from outside the U.K.; fax 0150/683-2222). Lines are open (local time) Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 6:30pm, Saturday from 9am to 5pm. The fee for this booking service is £4.
The Scottish tourist board is also a source of hotel ratings, which are based largely on amenities, like TVs in the rooms and wireless Internet in the lobby. The stars can be limited for smaller operations that may not offer all the modern conveniences, but these establishments are still perfectly good places to stay. The prices or tariffs listed in this guide are generally the standard rates, which can potentially be reduced with advance or Internet bookings. All hotels, B&Bs, and guesthouses are completely nonsmoking, although some will offer smoking areas outside.
No Frills in the City Center
For basic, inexpensive accommodation from the better-known chains, Glasgow has a few options. Near Sauchiehall Street in the Charing Cross district is the Hotel Ibis (220 West Regent St., G2 4DQ; tel. 0141/225-6000), www.ibishotel.com, with rooms from £50 plus a restaurant and bar. Just across the Clyde in the gentrified New Gorbals, the Premier Inn group has colonized the Tulip Inn (80 Ballater St., G5 0TW; tel. 0870/423-6452), www.premierinn.com, offering double rooms from around £60 and lots of free car parking. Above the Charing Cross railway stop there is another 278-unit outlet (10 Elmbank Gardens, G2 4PP; tel. 0870/990-6312) with rooms at similar prices. Opened in 2007, the Etap Hotel (Springfield Quay, G5 8NP; tel. 0141/429-8013, www.etaphotel.com) has rooms for around £36.
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20 Results
- Hotel
Alamo Guest House
Remember the Alamo....next time you head to Glasgow. Because this little guesthouse is a delight, well located (it faces onto a corner of Kelvingrove Park and is within walking distance of the top sights), with many of its Victorian flourishes intact. Who doesn't like to read by…$$West End
- Hotel
Albion Hotel
This unpretentious and extremely friendly hotel (the staff are topnotch) occupies two nearly identical sandstone row houses in a convenient and leafy district of the West End. Just one block away is the subway and nearby are a number of excellent mom-and-pop cafes and stores (a nice…$$West End - Hotel
Ambassador Hotel
Across from the Botanic Gardens, this small Edwardian townhouse (part of the same hotel group that runs the Albion) offers fairly standard-looking rooms (white duvets with red throws, industrial red rugs, mass-produced furniture), though in some of the rooms, the original features…$$West End - Hotel
Argyll Hotel
Only a short walk from Kelvingrove Park, the Argyll lives up to its Scottish name. The atmosphere here is more Highland lodge than urban inn, with an understated and tasteful use of tartan in its furnishings. There is a clutch of spacious family rooms.$$West End - Hotel
Blythswood Square
This is a fairly recent addition to the higher end of the city’s hotel market. The rooms are often spacious with luxurious black granite bathrooms, unusually comfortable beds and a sleek streamlined look (think: lots of grays, creams and Midcentury Modern lines). The basement spa is…$$City Centre - Hotel
Brunswick Hotel
The price is (usually) right here, the location good and the on-site restaurant a gem. So what if the rooms are, er, cozy (read: tiny). They are well-maintained and unpretentious with neutral color schemes, comfortable mattresses, and adequate bathrooms (several with both tub and…$$Merchant City - Hotel
Hilton Garden Inn Glasgow City Centre
This Hilton's location, right next to the River Clyde, is its biggest selling point; even if you can't get a water-facing view from your room, you will be able to lounge on the relaxing waterside terrace. As for the rooms, they can be small but the decor is very smart, by which I…$$City Centre - Hotel
Hilton Glasgow Hotel
Glasgow’s first-class Hilton is perched over the M8 freeway that slashes through the city of Glasgow. Despite its odd location, it is a classy and modern hotel, with plush but conservative units that offer good city views. And staying here you really don't have to go elsewhere for…$$$City Centre - Hotel
Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire Gardens
This luxurious boutique hotel, spread over five town houses, is the most glamorous the city has to offer—often favored by the rich and famous. You'll understand why once you've been here. Service is at one and the same time discreet but quite warm, and each room has its own decor…$$$West End - Hotel
Hotel Ibis
If you're looking for art on the walls, or a rainfall shower, you've come to the wrong place. But if all you need is a good bed to crash in, a friendly staff to give you directions, and good rates, this is your hotel. Near Sauchiehall Street, the Hotel Ibis is well-located and has…$$City Centre - Hotel
Hotel Ibis Budget Glasgow
Opened in 2007, this hotel (formerly the Etap now the Ibis), sits south of the river. Rooms are streamlined with a look that's reminiscent of a ship's cabin (read: often tight quarters, with the shower oddly wedged into a corner of the bedroom). Still, the price is (usually) right,…$Central Glasgow - Hotel
Kelvingrove Hotel
Now part of the McQuade Group, this small guesthouse offers comfortable accommodation with modern decor, set within converted flats (so rooms are bigger than usual). We have particularly favorable views of this hotel for its location near Kelvingrove Park and for the top-notch…$$West End - Hotel
Kirklee Hotel
A red-sandstone Edwardian terraced house, with elegant bay windows, overlooking a private garden, the Kirklee has an old-fashioned charm to it. You'll feel that in the decor of the rooms and the warmth of the welcome from the owners and staff. Breakfast, included in the price, is a…$$West End - Hotel
Malmaison
The decor of this converted church, with its fine Greek-style exterior, is sleek and contemporary. Units vary in size from quite cozy to average, but all are chic and well-appointed with a neo-Art Deco appeal. Larger rooms are in the original church conversion, but access there is by…$$City Center - Hotel
Manor Park Guesthouse
Slightly off the beaten track (but still within walking distance of the major sights) this Highlands-themed townhouse (built in 1895, but first used as a hotel in 1947) offers traditionally furnished , spotlessly clean rooms, some with four poster beds. But what makes it special are…$$West End - Hotel
Marks Hotel
A welcoming hotel with an enviable city center location, the Marks has both its pluses and its minuses. Rooms on the front have huge floor to ceiling windows that angle out over the street below, keeping them bright and cheery. Alas, they can also get noisy. Those in the back are…$$City Center - Hotel
Millennium Hotel Glasgow
This landmark hotel, once called the Copthorne and erected at the beginning of the 19th century, has a wonderful location but is, alas, showing its age. The positives first: the Millennium faces directly onto the city’s central plaza, George Square, and rooms in the front offer views…$$City Centre - Hotel
Premier Inn
The location of this Premier Inn can't be beat (it's in the New Gorbals, on the south bank of the River Clyde). But that's not all that's right with this place. The beds are very comfortable, the rooms spacious and the staff unusually helpful. Yes, it looks like Premier Inn's…$$City Centre - Hotel
Radisson Blu
The Radisson is just a stone’s throw from Central Station. The contemporary guest rooms, with their blonde wood details and Scandinavian cool, have all the modern conveniences. A well-maintained, centrally located place to stay.$$City Centre - Hotel
The Arthouse Glasgow
Now a member of the Abode chain, this handsome Edwardian building is a striking boutique offering. Colors and textures blend in with the older structure, while the commissioned art and period pieces evoke some of the original splendor. That being said, some of the rooms are showing…$$City Centre
