The Dunstane Houses - a breath of fresh Orkney air in Edinburgh

In 1998, another opportunity arose. A beautiful Victorian building on West Coates came onto the market. Originally a merchant’s townhouse, it had been running for some years as a reasonably successful 15-bedroom two-star hotel, but it had the potential to be so much more. As they had with almost every opportunity so far, the Mowats jumped at the chance, bought the hotel and spent the next decade taking it to the next level. By 2007, the Dunstane had become one of the most beloved small boutique hotels in Edinburgh – and, thanks to Shirley and Derek acquiring another Victorian gem – the 18-bedroom Thistle Court Hotel over the road – it got a lot bigger. The next decade saw plenty of change and innovation across the Dunstane’s two buildings – an updated interior here, and added in-room perk there – but it wasn’t until late 2016 that a new chapter opened. For the first time since they’d landed at the Dunstane, Shirley and Derek began a massive refurbishment project, determined to turn one of the best hotels in Edinburgh into one of the finest in the UK.

The Dunstane Houses now represent the best of modern Edinburgh, with a unique all-day dining lounge and bar that celebrates Scottish produce (including, of course, a rarified whisky selection), a passionate team who always go out of their way to meet guests’ needs, and timeless neoclassical-inspired interiors. But although the atmosphere and visual character of The Dunstane Houses is a tribute to its Edinburgh setting, its Orcadian soul is never far from sight. Orkney’s heritage and culture informs everything from the photography on the walls by the front desk to the names of the hotel’s suites. The Ba’ Bar, for example, takes its name from the Kirkwall Ba’ game (the town-wide rugby scrum-like contest that takes place every year), and much of the produce in its kitchen is sourced from the Orkney Islands. It is little touches like this that give the hotel of its authentic character, and, for Shirley and Derek, act as a daily reminder of where their journey began.

I like to think that our approach to traditional hospitality with a welcoming friendly touch makes us stand out from the crowd. At the Dunstane Houses you can experience Scotland and Edinburgh as you can nowhere else. We partner with other small independent companies with the same guest ethos as us so we can be sure that the experience we recommend to our guests matches the level of hospitality they get with us at the hotel. For example, we partner with Mini Mack Tours who do tours of Edinburgh in Mini Coopers so you can see the city through the eyes of the local. Also Andy the Highlander who takes guests on highland tours dressed as a 17th-century Jacobite Warrior. You can see all of our bespoke packages on our website.

Hospitality, in Edinburgh especially, has become increasingly more difficult over the last ten years – it is more competitive and guests are much more money conscious which means value for money needs to be apparent in every part of our business. We have to make sure that our offering is special, unique and worth every penny we charge for it. Which of course we believe we have achieved! Competition is fierce and marketing is paramount to get the word out as independent hotels just don’t have the same power as the larger chains and so online reputation and word of mouth is crucial.