THE chairman of a boutique hotel says opening a branch in Glasgow was a mistake because of the level of drinking by guests.

Rattan Chadha, founder of the citizenM chain, made the comments in an interview with business magazine Inc.

Mr Chadha said that at the group's Renfield Street hotel: "Every evening we have someone falling down the stairs. Glasgow was a mistake."

The Dutch businessman started citizenM in 2007 with two hotels in Amsterdam before branching out in the UK.

Mr Chadha said: "Londonprices were sky-high, so when we found a prime place in downtown Glasgow we said, 'It's not ideal, but let's try'. It's the number-one hotel in Glasgow, but it doesn't attract our target customers."

A citizenM spokeswoman said the comments were taken out of context, adding: "It was one of the best decisions ever to go there."