Rocco Forte Hotels
Balmoral Hotel was owned by whom from 1997 to 1998?
Balmoral Hotel The Balmoral Hotel , originally built as the North British ( Railway Station ) Hotel , is a luxury hotel and landmark in Edinburgh , Scotland . It is located in the heart of the city at the east end of Princes Street , the main shopping street beneath the Edinburgh Castle rock , and the southern edge of the New Town . It is accessed from Princes Street , on its north side , and flanked by North Bridge and Waverley Steps . The latter gives pedestrian access to Waverley Station to the south , to which in was formerly linked . History . Resulting from a competition in 1895 , the hotel originally opened as the North British Station Hotel on 15 October 1902 . The buildings architecture is Victorian , influenced by the traditional Scottish baronial style . It was designed by architect William Hamilton Beattie and for most of the twentieth century was known as the North British Hotel or simply the N.B. , a traditional railway hotel built for the North British Railway Company adjacent to their newly rebuilt Waverley station . While under railway ownership , the hotel had porters in red jackets who would take passengers and their luggage directly into the hotel via a lift . Ownership passed into the hands of the London & North Eastern Railway ( LNER ) in 1923 . After nationalisation of the railways in 1948 , the hotel became part of British Transport Hotels until it was privatised and purchased by The Gleneagles Hotel Company in 1983 . In 1988 , the hotel closed for a major refurbishment and the building was purchased in 1990 by Balmoral International Hotels . On 12 June 1991 , Edinburgh-born actor Sean Connery officially re-opened the hotel as The Balmoral , Gaelic for majestic dwelling , following a £23,000,000 refurbishment . A plaque to commemorate the occasion appears in the hotel lobby beside the lifts . The hotel then became part of the Forte Group forming part of their Forte Grand collection of international high-end hotels . Following a hostile takeover of Forte Group in 1996 by Granada plc , The Balmoral was put up for sale by its new owners and in a twist of irony , became the first hotel purchased by the newly formed Rocco Forte Hotels created by Sir Rocco Forte in 1997 , following the takeover of their former business by Granada plc , effectively repurchasing one of Forte Groups hotels . Its traditional rival has always been The Caledonian Hotel at the west end of Princes Street ; this was once the station hotel for the now-demolished Princes Street station of the Caledonian Railway , which was North British Railways principal rival railway company . The Balmoral Clock . Since 1902 , the hotels clock has been set three minutes fast to ensure that the people of Edinburgh wouldnt miss their trains . This is still the case today . The only day that the clock runs on time is on 31 December ( Hogmanay ) for the citys New Year celebrations . The clock tower , at high , forms a prominent landmark in Edinburghs city centre . The hotel elected to keep the clock three minutes fast for 31 December 2020 , citing a desire to have three minutes less of that year . Media . Laurel and Hardy ( 1932 ) . In July 1932 , American comedy duo Laurel and Hardy visited the North British Station Hotel as part of their visit to Edinburgh . Crowds gathered outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of the famous pair . Their visit was one of the earliest videos of the hotel captured on film . Michael Palin ( 1980 ) . Michael Palin stayed at the North British in 1980 , as part of his Confessions of a Trainspotter journey from London Euston to Kyle of Lochalsh for the BBC show Great Railway Journeys of the World . J.K . Rowling and Harry Potter ( 2007 ) . In February 2007 it was confirmed that author J . K . Rowling finished the Harry Potter series , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at this hotel . Rowling left a signed statement written on a marble bust of Hermes in her room saying ; JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room ( 552 ) on 11th Jan 2007 . The room has since been renamed the J.K . Rowling Suite , and the marble bust has been placed in a glass display case to protect it . The suite , priced at nearly £1,000 per night , is a pilgrimage site for Harry Potter fans . Oprah ( 2010 ) . In October 2010 , Oprah Winfrey filmed a one-hour episode of Oprah at The Balmoral . She interviewed J . K . Rowling from room 230 , the Scone & Crombie Royal Suite . Oprah asked Rowling : Is there anything particularly here at this hotel where we are , that you thought would be particularly stimulating to your creative process? , to which Rowling replied : It turned out to be stimulating . As I was finishing Deathly Hallows there came a day where the window cleaner came , the kids were at home , the dogs were barking and I could not work , and this light bulb went on over my head and I thought , I can throw money at this problem . I can now solve this problem . For years and years and years , I would just go to a cafe and sit in a different kind of noise and work . I thought I can go to a quiet place . so I came to this hotel because its a beautiful hotel , but I didnt intend to stay here , but they were so nice to me here and , I think writers can be a little bit superstitious and the first day of writing went well so I kept coming back to this hotel and I ended up finishing the last of the Harry Potter books in this hotel . Hallam Foe ( 2007 ) . The hotel is the fictional setting for a large portion of the 2007 Scottish film Hallam Foe , where the principal character beds down in the clock tower , and spies on his love interest in Cockburn Street . Top Gear ( 2009 ) . In May 2009 , The Balmoral Bar was the finishing point for the Top Gear 1949 themed race from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley . Jeremy Clarkson travelled on LNER Peppercorn Class A1 60163 Tornado steam train , James May in a Jaguar XK120 and Richard Hammond on a Vincent Black Shadow motorbike . May won the race , with Clarkson coming second . External links . - The Balmoral Hotels Official Website