What to expect: Opened in 1985, this modern building is located in the city’s West End business and entertainment district, surrounded by the rapidly expanding financial center. With its traditional Scottish design touches, Edinburgh’s largest five-star hotel mainly caters for businesspeople, but also increasingly attracts city break leisure travelers and spa devotees.

Amenity highlights: The six-story, three-level One Spa was voted Condé Nast Traveler’s Favorite Hotel Spa of the Year by UK readers in September 2003. ESPA were the consultants and Terry Farrell the architect of a spa that offers an ultra modern Technogym, an outdoor spa tub, 19-meter (62-foot) indoor swimming pool, 17 treatment rooms and a Thermal Suite with a range of hot and cold therapies designed to relax and rejuvenate.

Guests enter the building from a quiet street, into a small reception area with vibrant decor in deep blues and reds. The walls are adorned with original abstract artworks, and there is a concierge desk. Beyond the reception is a seating area with video and DVD library and a range of books and local guides.

Converted to a hotel in 2001, the baronial former offices of The Scotsman newspaper were built in 1899. An eclectic mix of new and carefully restored original décor is present throughout. The lobby has antique oak paneling as well as framed avante garde prints, and guests–business and leisure travelers–recline on modern, crimson sofas while warming their hands at the marble fireplace.

Although incorporating a 19th-century church into its façade, this glass-clad boutique hotel is pure 21st century. From the high-ceilinged lobby, with its steel chandeliers, rows of cacti, and huge unframed painted canvasses, a spiral staircase leads to a mezzanine exhibiting local art. Celebrities, vacationers, and executives find upscale service in an ultra-contemporary environment.

Guests enter the contemporary EQ-2 apartments from the canalfront, via a small garden with manicured lawn and hedgerows. Opened in 2005, the apartments attract corporate and leisure guests seeking self-catering accommodation with proximity to the city’s main financial district and historical attractions, such as Edinburgh Castle and The Royal Mile.

What to expect: With its turrets and 16th-century façade, the hotel blends perfectly with its ancient neighbors. Guests enter the spacious, subtely-lit lobby, which bustles with informal business meetings all week and is taken over by families at weekends. Comfortable leather chairs and sofas are discreetly placed around the pillared lobby area. Friendly reception staff and concierge services wait to greet arriving guests.

Amenity highlights: Behind the stunning 16th-century exterior there lies a modern hotel with comfortable and well equipped accommodation, and a range of twelve conference and banqueting rooms catering for up to 200 delegates. Itchycoo Bar and Kitchen is a popular venue in which to relax and unwind. It is open seven days a week and serves a delicious menu of contemporary light cuisine, specialty coffees, plus an extensive menu of cocktails, spirits, malt whiskies, and draught beers.

Insider tip: Just five minutes’ walk from the hotel is Holyrood Park, also known as the Queen's Park because it is owned by the monarch. Extending to around 650 acres, this is one of the largest areas of unspoiled landscape at the center of any European city. The park is almost always open for the public to enjoy and although entirely surrounded by the city, offers solitude and a great environment for walking and jogging.