Edinburgh 'walnut whip' hotel put up for sale

The W Hotel has been given some less-charitable nicknames by locals

Edinburgh’s controversial “walnut whip” hotel has been put up for sale months after opening.

The W Hotel, which sits at the centre of the £1bn St James Quarter, began welcoming guests in November 2023 following a series of delays.

Its bronze-clad steel exterior which now dominates the city’s skyline caused discontent among some residents when it was unveiled.

It has now been put on the market alongside a stake in the attached shopping centre and apartment complex.

The hotel, designed by Jestico and Whites, was branded the “ribbon hotel” when it was unveiled to replace the decaying 1960s St James Centre and New St Andrews House office block.

It features 244 rooms across ten storeys and a 360-degree panoramic rooftop bar.

However, its design has been repeatedly mocked by locals, who have nicknamed it the "walnut whip" and the “golden jobbie”.

Estate agent Savills, who are selling the hotel on behalf of Nuveen Real Estate, said the hotel offered an “exceptional opportunity”.

The hotel has become a prominent part of the Edinburgh skyline

The firm’s head of hotel capital markets, Robert Stapleton, said he expected the sale to attract “global interest”.

He said: “The quality of the development is absolutely outstanding and, being positioned in the centre of St James Quarter, Edinburgh’s busiest and best retail district, the hotel benefits from both an exceptional location, but also phenomenal footfall.

“The hotel is best-in-class in Edinburgh and requires no additional capital expenditure. We’re confident that the hotel will attract significant interest from global investors.”

A 25% stake in the St James Quarter mall is also up for sale.

That includes the New Ediyn residential development, comprising 152 apartments, and 1,600 spaces in an underground car park – about 75% of the total off-street parking available in the city.

The shopping centre boasts about 80 retailers, including the likes of Bershka, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius.

It opened in 2021 after being delayed due to the Covid pandemic.