During the Christmas period we were kindly invited along to experience the five star Kimpton Blythswood Square hotel in Glasgow. This is the city’s only five star property, and it’s also one of our favourite hotels in Scotland! The property rebranded in 2019 to the Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Brand, so read on to find out more about this incredible luxury hotels in Glasgow and what’s new in the hotel since the brand update.
Background and Concept
This Kimpton Blythswood Square is a landmark hotel in Glasgow and is celebrated for its gorgeous Georgian architecture, superior service, recently renovated rooms, incredible spa (trust us it is amazing!), and newly opened destination restaurant Bo and Birdy. The building was once the Royal Scottish Automobile Club and its opulent legacy lives on continuing to define Glaswegian luxury as the only hotel in the city with AA accreditation. From the moment you walk up the front steps through the entrance you know you are about to experience something quite special.
Location
Ideally located on Blythswood Square, the hotel is located in the heart of Glasgow, but it is also one of the quietest parts, so you can expect a good night sleep. The hotel looks out onto leafy Blythswood Square, which guests have private access to. Want to go shopping? Buchanan Street and the luxury shopping brands on Ingram Street are a 15 minute walk away. While the city’s cosmopolitan West End and gentrified Finnieston which is packed with bars and restaurants are conveniently close too.
Rooms and Suites
Being a historical building each of the 113 rooms is slightly different in layout, but all finished to the same sophisticated standards, so expect marble bathrooms, edgy artwork, luxurious amenities, a mini bar packed with goodies and natural light in every room. Rooms come in Standard, Superior, Deluxe and Suite category. We had a beautiful deluxe room on the first floor, which was generous in size, had the most comfortable bed and a bathroom finished floor to ceiling in marble and even a separate part of the room for the bath!
Something unique to the Kimpton brand is the a ‘Forgot It, We’ve Got It’ service offering essential travel items. In the bathroom was an extensive list of amenities that can be brought to your room free of charge. I really loved the shower gel and great to see it is in refillable bottles too!
Penthouse Suite
If you want to go all out during your stay then they have a range of suites and a Penthouse suite, which features a private lift, bespoke timber furnishings, locally sourced fabrics, a steam room and sunken bath, and unbeatable views of the Glasgow skyline from your own rooftop garden.
Food and Drink
Bo and Birdy
The former ballroom of the building was renovated in 2019 into the elegant Bo and Birdy (which is most certainly one of the best restaurants in Glasgow). Under the culinary guidance of Scotland’s first female 5-star hotel Executive Head Chef, Gillian Matthews, Bo & Birdy is a modern brasserie re-imagined through a traditional Scottish lens. Over £1m was spent on creating the new 146-cover restaurant which opened in April 2019 and the outcome is fabulously stylish! The restaurant offers a chic, polished dining destination in the heart of Glasgow, while the menu presents the best of Scottish produce combined with bold flavours as well as classic menu options. There is an an extensive wine selection showcasing the best of Californian and French vineyards and if you like cocktails this is one of the best places in the city for them.
We started our evening with a cocktail, and they have a fantastic selection of seasonal cocktails along with the classic selection, before we enjoyed their A La Carte menu. You can view the full menu here
Breakfast
Breakfast is served in Bo and Birdy and offers the same high refined quality experience you can expect from their dinner menu. Instead of a hot buffet, help yourself to their cold buffet selection and pick from their a la carte breakfast options, which are served to you at your table.
Fancy something stronger than a coffee to start the day off? Opt for a Bloody Mary or glass of Prosecco.
The Salon
Called one of the “best bars in the world” by Class magazine, The Salon on the first floor offers an elegant spot for socialising and sipping, with a wide range of classic and inventive cocktails, liqueurs and digestifs, bottled beer and cider, and an extensive wine list. Their famous afternoon tea is served here too where you can sink into a Harris Tweed chair and delight in a mix of sweet and savoury nibbles, complete with chocolates to take home with you.
Discover more about the Salon here
The Spa & Thermal Suite
The hotel’s spa and thermal suite is legendary with people coming from all over Scotland to experience it. The Spa has nine luxury treatment rooms, a thermal suite, two relaxation pools, a lounge and café area, spread out over 10’000 square feet. The spa offers a range of holistic face and body treatments, individually designed and tailored to your individual needs. All hotel guests have complimentary access to The Thermal Experience from 7am-9am and 6pm-9pm.
Final Thoughts
We loved the hotel before if became a Kimpton property and now it is part of the Kimpton group we love it even more. The hotel is beautiful, it has a certain wow factor, and has blended a historical past with the luxury modern conveniences every luxury traveler expects. Bo and Birdy is a wonderful destination restaurant and even if you are just visiting Glasgow and not staying at the Kimpton it is well worth booking in for dinner or a drink.
We love the hotel so much it has made it onto our guide to the best luxury hotels in Scotland.
Address: 11 Blythswood Square, Glasgow G2 4AD
Web: www.kimptonblythswoodsquare.com/us/en/
Blythswood Square, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
