Scotland's "only luxury floating hotel" has been named one of the best in the UK by the AA. The motoring association has compiled a list of the 25 top five-star hotels and restaurants in the UK and Northern Ireland.
Fingal, located on Edinburgh's vibrant waterfront, is described as "a hotel with all the glamour and style of a superyacht but with an old-world elegance that is completely unique". It contains 23 "exquisite" cabins and is just a short walk from the city centre.
It makes its first appearance on the AA's prestigious list of hotels and restaurants after being awarded the top five-star rating for the hotel and two AA Rosettes for its Lighthouse Restaurant. According to the AA, two rosettes are awarded to "excellent restaurants that aim for and achieve higher standards and better consistency".
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Fingal is now one of only 43 five-star hotels with two AA Rosettes across the whole of the UK and Northern Ireland. It is also one of only 25 hotels around the country with an overall quality assurance score of 87% or above.
The hotel underwent two full days of "rigorous assessments", after which AA inspectors applauded "the exceptional quality of the ship’s stylish interior design, meticulous attention to detail, unique maritime heritage, outstanding customer service and fine dining experience".
The AA inspectors stated: "The condition and quality throughout is excellent. Notable features such as the engine room on display, the bridge, lift and function space are all fascinating.
"The design features and detailing also impressed. A very intimate and exclusive feel maintained through the hotel which has been created from a working vessel - the heritage of which is very well established and promoted to guests.
"Highly individual set of rooms which offer a special experience."
Earlier in the year, Fingal also won a Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award for a third consecutive year. As well as being named one of the top 20 luxury hotels in the UK by TripAdvisor users, Fingal was singled out as one of the top 25 most romantic hotels in the UK and Channel Islands for 2022.
Commenting on Fingal’s continued award success, Britannia’s Hospitality Director and Fingal’s General Manager Andrew Thomson said: "We’re extremely proud to have been recognised by the AA for our commitment to offering a world-class visitor experience for all our guests with the top five-star quality assurance rating for the hotel and two AA Rosettes for our Lighthouse Restaurant.
"The inspectors paid particular attention to the exceptional quality of the ship’s stylish interior design, our meticulous attention to detail, unique maritime heritage, outstanding customer service and fine dining experience in Fingal’s Lighthouse Restaurant & Bar.
"Prestigious accolades like this are a real testament to our dedicated team of hospitality professionals who are passionate about delivering only the best guest experience."
More information can be found on the Fingal website.
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