Initially built in 1883, the voco Grand Central Hotel is a landmark with a rich history. Over the past five years, Thomas Johnstone Ltd (TJL) has undertaken several projects within this iconic A-listed building. In 2020-2021, coinciding with the hotel’s rebranding to an IHG voco hotel, TJL undertook a comprehensive refurbishment of all 243 guest rooms and suites. This extensive update included refreshing the decor and installing new carpets and beds, ensuring a complete transformation of the hotel’s interior.

TJL’s in-house Manufactured Joinery division crafted bespoke case goods for the rooms, such as bedside units, tables, wardrobes, and curved headboards, inspired by the hotel’s railway heritage. The en-suite bathrooms were upgraded with new lighting, tiling, flooring, and sanitary ware. Additionally, new A/C units were installed in every room, with a corridor ceiling raft designed to house the necessary service cables while preserving original features like cornicing and stone archways.

Public areas and corridors were also refurbished to complete the hotel’s rebrand and significant restoration work on the 6th and 7th floors, which were previously unoccupied and uninhabitable.

After the pandemic halted work, TJL’s Small Works division completed the project in early 2023. The final touches included decorating and installing custom case goods in the final few rooms, painting the guest room walls in a contemporary grey and taupe palette with teal accents, and updating the remaining corridors with new carpets and doors.

Our M&E division also oversaw electrical upgrades, including A/C cabling and en-suite improvements, which were also completed where necessary.

During the decommissioning phase of this project, TJL, with support from Recreate Scotland, achieved a FF&E reuse rate of 86% – successfully recirculating 1344 individual resources and saving them from landfill or recycling. Read more about our Recreate Gold membership here.