Standing watch opposite Glasgow City Chambers in the city’s historical municipal district, you’ll find the AC Hotel Glasgow, which breathes a vibrant, fresh energy into Glasgow’s hospitality scene. 245 rooms and suites sit across a brand-new contemporary new wing, plus 22 heritage rooms which sit within the historical wing that once acted as Glasgow Parish Halls. Downstairs, restaurant Hazel, named after the hazel tree in Glasgow’s coat of arms, offers all-day dining, alongside a seriously good cocktail bar, lounge and coffee shop. And being just steps from Queen Street Station, you have everything to hand for a stylish leisure break or business trip in Scotland’s biggest city. At the heart of its room offering is The Liberty Suite, one of the most extravagant hotel suites in the city, which is now launching a new ‘party package’, so The Luxury Editor recently checked into it to find out more……
Scotland, Lanarkshire, Glasgow, City Centre
AC Hotel Glasgow
(4 stars)AC Hotel Glasgow is part of Marriott’s design-led European AC Hotel brand, with a philosophy of refined but not fussy, so clean lines and a neutral palette features throughout, with pops of contemporary art and styling to stimulate the mind. You enter off George Street into a large lobby space, with reception podiums down one side and, in front, a thought-provoking wire sculpture of three people conversing by chairs. Across from it, a large circular sofa area clusters around a marble-effect rug, with coffee tables that balance on brass conical bases; the whole space feels more like the lobby of a Manhattan publishing house than my hometown of Glasgow; I’m half expecting Anna Wintour to appear from a lift.
AC Lounge & Library
From there, the space flows into the AC Library, a long communal area, ideal for coffee and co-working, lit up by three hammered brass lamps, I was told, reminiscent of Pringles crisps, which I had to agree with, and set against a living wall of greenery. Beyond that, separated by a sheer curtain, the Library is seriously cool: a contemporary gas fire flickers away, a blue sofa runs down one side, and low-backed armchairs fill the space. A marble shelf runs around the room, holding a collection of contemporary artworks propped casually against the wall rather than hung, as though the owner has only just moved in and hasn’t quite decided where everything should go, which gives the whole space a relaxed, residential feel.
Glasgow’s Parish Halls
I’ve walked past this building for years growing up, and never thought too much about it. Glasgow is such a celebration of Victorian architecture that you end up taking each building for granted. I’ve walked past this building for years growing up and never thought too much about it; Glasgow is such a celebration of Victorian and Edwardian architecture that you end up taking it for granted. This building was, in fact, Glasgow’s Parish Halls, built in 1902 for Glasgow’s Parish Council, which oversaw poor relief across the city, and it served as the council’s offices and meeting halls for decades. Later falling into disrepair, it stood derelict for many years, but now forms the historic wing of the AC Hotel Glasgow. New energy is being breathed into this entire corner block, which is part of Love Loan, a £100 million redevelopment that will see the whole block transformed into a new leisure and residential quarter for the city.
Original features have been lovingly preserved throughout; walking down the grand staircase, which winds up through the building, it’s worth spending some time looking at the intricate stained-glass windows and, at the foot of the stairs, there is a glazed ceramic relief of the coat of arms depicting St Mungo above the tree, the bird, the bell and the fish, with the city’s motto, Let Glasgow Flourish, running beneath.
Location
The hotel couldn’t be more central; you are a minute’s walk from George Square and a five-minute walk to Queen Street Station, which connects you to Edinburgh in 50 minutes and the rest of Scotland, while Glasgow Central Station is a ten-minute walk, with trains connecting to services to England. Glasgow Merchant City is on your doorstep with lots of bars and restaurants to explore, and the city’s Style Mile – Buchanan Street packed with shopping is within easy reach, and if you have time to venture further, the underground network connects you quickly with the West End, its bohemian university district, packed with boutique shopping.
Rooms & Suites
Most of the hotel’s guest rooms sit within the new building, all with an AC brand contemporary finish, with higher-floor rooms offering views across the city’s rooftops. The bulk of the hotel’s guest rooms sit within the new building, finished in the AC brand’s clean, contemporary style, with higher-floor rooms offering views across the city’s rooftops. Across in the Parish Halls, the 22 heritage suites showcase the building’s original features, from ornate plaster ceilings and cornicing to restored fireplaces and tall arched windows, some looking directly onto the City Chambers opposite. They are also larger, some with junior suite-style seating areas and others with separate lounges.
The Liberty Suite
I was here to stay in The Liberty Suite, and what a suite it is! Named after a Statue of Liberty replica that stands atop the City Chambers; this was the former boardroom of the Parish Halls. Opening into a vast room with a soaring ceiling, a run of floor-to-ceiling arched windows looks across to the City Chambers. Underfoot, herringbone flooring sits against fluted white pilasters that rise to ornate carved capitals, each crowned by a group of carved figures perched along the cornicing. The layout splits, what is a significantly sized space, into three distinct spaces around a freestanding core in the middle, housing a guest bathroom. To the left, a living area, with a pair of chartreuse velvet sofas and a low upholstered ottoman, and on the other side, a grand dining space runs almost the complete length of the space, with seating for up to 18 people.
Look above, and you see the room’s original glass dome, which rises out of the coffered ceiling, and for a moment I thought to myself that, walking past, you would never know this dome, or, in fact, room, exists, what a privilege to call this slice of Glasgow’s history home for the night.
The last section of the room houses a sleek galley bar area with various fridges and cupboards, and sitting on the stone island, a bottle of Laurent-Perrier was temptingly waiting on ice for our arrival, offering us a taste of the hotel’s newly launched Grand Soirée party package, giving you exclusive use of The Liberty Suite, an overnight stay in its two king bedrooms with breakfast for up to four, and a dedicated private server from 5 pm until 1 am. It includes a champagne reception with four magnums of champagne, a fully stocked drinks fridge, and luxury charcuterie grazing boards for up to 20 guests, along with fresh flowers, seasonal fruit and sweet treats on arrival, two ishga welcome gifts, and late check-out.
Master Bedroom
Two king-sized bedrooms, leading off either side. I’ve been in many of Chris Stewart’s Group’s properties in Edinburgh, and I could immediately see the trademark styling, a winning knack for pairing Scandinavian-inspired furniture against historic features, without one overpowering the other. In the master bedroom, the king-size bed sits below a ceiling of originally lattice-work plaster mouldings, and to one side, the original fireplace keeps its glazed green. Behind the bed, a free-floating wardrobe unit acts as an open dressing area, along with Nespresso station, and the bathroom is finished in stone-effect tiles with a separate bath and walk-in shower. The second bedroom follows a similar footprint and offering.
Second Bedroom
The Hazel
After a very enjoyable bottle of champagne, we made our way down to the hotel’s restaurant, which takes its name from the hazel tree in Glasgow’s coat of arms. As you enter the space, you notice the whole restaurant is set around a life-sized hazel tree, its canopy spreading across the dining room. Around it, terrazzo tables lit by small table lamps invite you to sit down, so we made ourselves comfortable nearest the window. We started with a round of chilli-rimmed margaritas while digesting the menu.
We both opted to start with the treacle-cured Scottish salmon, which arrived looking every bit as striking as its description, lacquered in a glossy, near-black treacle glaze, topped with a spear of candied charred chicory finished with a swipe of bright green oil cutting through the dark jus beneath. Sweet and salty tones of the fish are offset with a spoonful of goat’s cheese curd.
For mains, my friend went for the trio of lamb, a generous portion of three slices of pink rump, complete with bone, stacked against a portion of mashed potato topped with redcurrant jus. I opted for the ribeye cooked to perfection with a pot of fries, and I opted for a jug of chimichurri to dunk each mouthful of steak into.
Comfortably full by this point, we debated dessert and agreed we could still find some space.
Jamie, the head bartender, had been our host for the evening, navigating us through the wine offering and easily persuading us to try a nightcap cocktail in the lounge, which we obligingly agreed to! The cocktail menu is split between signature creations by the Hazel team and their own twists on the classics, with a strong Scottish thread running through it. We went for a Fits of Passion, billed as “a Mai Tai & a Negroni held hands”, which pairs Seaside Edinburgh Gin with Lucky Passionfruit liqueur, Campari and orgeat. Jamie talked us through how it’s made as he crafted the drink, finishing by explaining that the pomegranate seeds were infact tiny beads of Sarti Rosa caviar that went through a pipetting process and were added into a hollowed-out passionfruit shell. I said my favourite drink is a Margarita, and this one came with a twist, finished with a float of red wine settling over the margarita to leave it layered from pale gold to deep crimson.
As day turned to night, we meandered back to the suite, and one nightcap turned to two, which we took back to the suite. in the evening light, the space takes on an almost chameleon-like quality; slim uplighters cast soft pools of light up the grey walls, catching the fluted pilasters and throwing the gilded cherubs along the cornice into dramatic relief, while the glass dome now glowed an electric blue. We sipped our final cocktail, reminiscing about life and just enjoying spending time in what is a truly unique hotel room in Glasgow.
Breakfast
The next morning we head back down to Hazel for a buffett spread of hot and cold breakfast items.
Gym
There is also a gym, which in my usual fashion, I had no time to experience, but I did have a good look around.
Final Thoughts
A hotel of two halves, the new wing delivers exactly what you’d expect from the AC brand, while the Parish Halls offer something you won’t find anywhere else in the city: a chance to sleep amongst history. Add in Hazel, a seriously good cocktail bar and a location just steps from Queen Street Station, and it ticks all the boxes. For a special celebration, The Liberty Suite is in a league of its own, and with the Grand Soirée package priced from £2,500 Sunday to Thursday and £3,000 on Fridays, I can’t think of a more memorable place in Glasgow to raise a glass with friends.
