Landmark of luxury

THE Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh began life on December 21, 1903 the

way it meant to continue. From the start it aimed for quality and style.

Its address for telegrams was expressive -- ''Luxury, Edinburgh''.

This year, the 90th birthday of the Caley, as it is known, is being

marked by a series of events. The red sandstone edifice is a landmark at

the west end of Princes Street and a Scottish institution.

Its renown derives from more than bricks and mortar. Miss Lynn

Abernethy, resident manager, says there is something special about the

Caley which impresses the kings and queens and commoners alike who have

crossed its threshold, and all members of its staff.

''I feel it is about people. There is an atmosphere about the

Caledonian. It is as if something oozes out of the stonework that

enraptures people. I have never met anyone who has worked here who has

not felt this sense of warmth.

''It obviously comes from the staff, but guests, whether local people

or visitors, feel an atmosphere about the hotel, even walking into the

lobby. People say it is welcoming.''

Miss Abernethy, a Scot from Inverness, says she had no doubt about

where she wanted to be when she returned north from a post in a posh

hotel in London's Piccadilly.

''It had to be Edinburgh and it had to be the Caley, although I had

been through the door only once.''

One reason that so many famous people have chosen to stay at the

Caledonian is that discretion is assured and meticulous attention is

given to all requests. It was known that European leaders were staying

at the hotel during last December's summit, including John Major and

Jacques Delors, but names of other celebrities in residence have been

kept private until years later.

Laurel and Hardy, Roy Rogers, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, President

Harry Truman, Judy Garland, Paul Robeson, Mario Lanza, Louis Armstrong,

Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Marlon Brando, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth

Taylor and Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery, and Clint

Eastwood have all been at the Caley.

The Caledonian is a favourite with royalty. In 1947, Princess

Elizabeth, and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, later the Queen and the

Duke of Edinburgh, attended two dinners there in a week. Princess Grace

of Monaco clearly enjoyed her visits both as the film star Grace Kelly

and as a princess.

''Basically, guests want fast, efficient, unobtrusive service and that

is what we endeavour to provide,'' says Miss Abernethy. ''They want to

feel someone cares about them.

''We do that by catering for their every need and ensuring they get a

smile when they arrive and are shown to their room. If they want a fax

sent at two o'clock in the morning, that will be done. We will move

heaven and earth to get something for a guest.''

The Caledonian's care for VIPs has not altered in 90 years, but it has

moved with the times in other ways. It was originally the Princes Street

Station Hotel, built by the Caledonian Railway Company, a product of the

age of railway expansion. Its rival, the North British Hotel, now the

Balmoral, had opened the previous year.

During the four years it was being erected, rumours swept Edinburgh

that the new hotel would be one of the finest in Europe. When its doors

opened, the first customers looked in awe at its Pavonazzo marbled hall,

its gold-painted ceiling, its gilt-topped marbled columns, the grand

staircase with its balustrade of marble and gilded wrought iron, and

stained-glass windows with the coats of arms of the chief towns on the

Caledonian railway network.

One indicator of the Caley's ability to change with the times lies in

its reputation for superior dining facilities. A major innovation was

the conversion of its Louis XIV drawing room into a French restaurant,

which opened in 1925 as the Pompadour, named after the influential

mistress of Louis XV.

It quickly became fashionable and flourished until 1938. Another

elegant restaurant, the de Guise, which had a larger dance floor, was

then opened. After the austere years of the Second World War, the

Pompadour was restored in 1953. The de Guise was converted into a

popular snack restaurant in 1956.

Between 1956 and 1958 a remarkable facelift was undertaken. The

brothers Robert and Roger Nicholson, consultant designers to British

Transport Hotels, revolutionised the interior of the Caledonian with a

theme from the world of nature.

Princes Street Station was closed on September 6, 1965. In 1970, the

hotel began the addition of a new wing with 50 more bedrooms on the

upper three floors. A further major refurbishment followed.

One reason for the Caledonian's eminence has been the quality of its

employees. It has produced many personalities. In the present staff, Mr

Stewart Scoular, room service manager, is the longest-serving member

with 41 years to his credit, and Mr Billy Garioch, who has risen from

page boy to concierge, 20 years.

The Caley acquired five-star status in 1985. It has 238 bedrooms and

23 suites, including a presidential suite. Each year its guests consume

5000 bottles of champagne, 100,000 eggs, and 18,000 gallons of milk.

It has changed hands a number of times. Its present owners, Queens

Moat Houses plc, acquired it in 1990. A book telling the story of the

Caledonian Hotel, Luxury, Edinburgh, by Ian Nimmo, will be launched at

the hotel on Tuesday.