Malmaison Glasgow

Rooms and decor

Picture a 19th-century Greek Orthodox church in the middle of Glasgow that the boutique brand Malmaison took over and turned into a sexy 4-star hotel — that's the charm that makes Malmaison Glasgow unlike anything else in the city. The grim grey stone exterior hides black-and-oxblood interiors, and the moment you push through to the lobby it feels more like a secret London cocktail bar than a hotel. All 72 rooms play cleverly off the church's original bones — some keep the original stone vaulted ceilings, painted black so they almost disappear, lit by dim downlights for a heavy mood. The look runs dark: moody wallpaper, oxblood leather, thick drapes across the windows, a soft king bed on deep carpet, and a glossy black-tiled bathroom with a strong rain shower. If you love the old-church-meets-speakeasy thing, this will land; if you want a bright, white, minimal room, it may read a touch dark — but that's exactly what Mal intends.

Food and amenities

The heart of this place is two spots in the basement — Chez Mal Brasserie and The Crypt Bar. Chez Mal is a French-leaning brasserie serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the highlight is Scottish beef grilled on a Josper, the Spanish charcoal oven that gives the meat a smoky char, cut with bearnaise or smooth mustard as you like. Other dishes reviewers mention often are the Aberdeen Angus burger, local Scottish seafood, and fresh fish and chips. The breakfast buffet is well known too — Scottish bacon struck right between salty and sweet, Cumberland sausage, eggs Benedict made to order, black pudding for the brave, fresh croissants, seasonal fruit and bottomless coffee. A few steps over is The Crypt Bar, the underground cocktail bar beneath the old church, dim and atmospheric under original stone vaults with candlelight on the tables. Bartenders mix a solid Old Fashioned, Negroni or Manhattan, and the single-malt list runs deep, as you'd hope in Glasgow. It stays open past midnight on weekends, and if this is your kind of room you'll settle in for the long haul.

Location and getting there

Malmaison Glasgow sits on West George Street in the heart of the City Centre, near Charing Cross and Blythswood Square, a handsome, quiet Georgian square by day. It's about 5 minutes' walk to Sauchiehall Street, the city's main shopping run lined with shops, malls, cafes and pubs, and a little further to Glasgow School of Art, the masterpiece of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scotland's legendary architect. The smarter shopping street, Buchanan Street, is about 10 minutes on foot, and art lovers can reach Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum with a short drive or a 20-minute walk. Getting around is easy — Charing Cross station is about 5 minutes' walk, handy for trains on to Edinburgh or Loch Lomond, and the big central Queen Street station is about 15 minutes away. Glasgow Airport (GLA) is roughly 15-20 minutes by car. If you want to wake up and walk straight into Victorian architecture, shopping and most of the city without a taxi, this spot delivers.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the most common gripe is light and windows. Because the building was a church, some rooms, especially the base categories on the floors against the old wall, have very small windows, and a few have what's closer to a vent than a real window. Some reviewers say it feels cramped and too dark over several nights, so if you need plenty of natural light, step up to a Deluxe or Junior Suite with bigger, higher windows. The second point is noise — the original stone walls and old corridors let sound carry, and a few reviews mention hearing the next room or The Crypt Bar downstairs on Friday and Saturday nights, so light sleepers should ask for a higher floor away from the bar. The last is price: base rooms start around $149 a night, fair for a central boutique, but a pretty vaulted-ceiling room climbs fast to $230-300, and dining at Chez Mal is premium — a Josper steak dinner runs several hundred dollars a head with drinks, not pub prices. What's missing: no pool, no full spa, and only a small fitness room in a stone vault with basic kit, so anyone expecting full 5-star facilities may feel short-changed.

Our take

After reading through the real reviews and getting the measure of the place, Malmaison Glasgow is a boutique that sells dark, sexy design in an old church building, a charcoal-scented Josper steak dinner, and the cool underground Crypt bar — all balanced and fair for the 4-star price. If the trip in your head is checking in mid-afternoon while the light's still soft, heading down for steak in the basement, then sipping an Old Fashioned in The Crypt before retreating to a vaulted-ceiling room, this place was made for you. If you're traveling as a family with small kids and want a bright room, a pool and an easy-on-the-eyes look, it may not be the answer. Overall we give it 8.7/10, best for moody couples, solo travelers who like atmosphere, and people who want to stay central somewhere that isn't just another hotel chain.