Fingal Hotel Business Spotlight

The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust bought the former Northern Lighthouse Board vessel, Fingal, in August 2014. Keen to develop an additional income stream that was not dependent on visitors to the Royal Yacht, The Trust invested in transforming the ship into a luxury floating hotel. I joined the team in 2019, the year Fingal opened. The finished development has a stunning ballroom nestled in the former hold of the ship, a stylish restaurant and bar with views out over the water, plus 22 nautically inspired cabins, all named after Stevenson lighthouses.

Fingal is permanently berthed in the historic Port of Leith, just a five-minute walk from the Royal Yacht Britannia. Together, the two ships create a truly unique pairing, with Fingal perfectly complementing Britannia’s world-class offering. Britannia, renowned as Scotland’s No.1 visitor attraction and an exclusive evening events venue, can now extend its experience by offering accommodation aboard Fingal, adding an exceptional dimension to Edinburgh’s luxury hospitality. Fingal also features the Lighthouse Restaurant, welcoming non-residents for breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner – services not available on Britannia – making this partnership a distinctive and memorable choice for guests.

In June 2025, we launched a PR campaign to highlight the fantastic restaurants in Leith – we gathered Tom Kitchin, Martin Wishart, Ian Stirling of Port of Leith, Barry Bryson of Barry Fish, Roberta Hall-McCarron of The Little Chartroom, Sam York of Heron, plus our own Mark Alston and Andrea Alonso-Sendon. All the chefs attended our media call and chatted to the press. And we were pleased to see Katie from the Forever Edinburgh team there too!

Edinburgh is a glorious city. Being based in Scotland’s historic capital city, the second most-visited city in the UK, has many commercial advantages including a steady year-round flow of visitors. Leith has evolved into one of Edinburgh’s most vibrant districts and is now easily accessible thanks to the new tram link connecting us directly to the city and the airport. The unique events that Edinburgh hosts bring millions of visitors to the city each year – Fringe Festival, International Festival, Hogmanay, Edinburgh Military Tattoo etc.

It would start with a walk around Arthur’s Seat, followed by brunch and coffee at The Larder off the Royal Mile, a true hidden gem. I’d then wander through the Portrait Gallery or the National Gallery or browse the independent shops in Stockbridge. To top it all off, some shopping at St James Quarter and a drink at the W Lounge, soaking in those incredible city views.

Heritage weavers Araminta Campbell has a stunning new Atelier and showroom in South Queensferry. Set in a beautifully transformed farmhouse, it showcases the collections and the vintage looms used in the weaving process. It’s a gorgeous space and worth a visit.

We have lots to look forward to in 2026 – we’re launching our new Chef’s Table Experience. We’re also developing our offering of ticketed events which have been a great success for us this year, working with Edinburgh-based partners such as Islander UK, Garlands Florist, Pekoe Tea and Hirundine Whisky. We also have a lovely partnership with Moet & Chandon and will be working with them on various events in 2026.

Forever Edinburgh’s fantastic reach allows us to spread our messages even further – our ticketed events are on their website and social which is a great support. We also welcome Forever Edinburgh to press calls on both ships, including when we recently launched a new Visitor Centre and Shop at Britannia.