Marriott adds three high-end aparthotels in Edinburgh

Earlier this week, the Cheval Collection chain of aparthotels in London, Edinburgh and Dubai joined Global Hotel Alliance.

We will have more details on this in a couple of days in an interview with GHA CEO Chris Hartley, after we met up in Brussels on Wednesday.

Whether or not this is tied to the GHA move I don’t know, but three Edinburgh properties are leaving Cheval Collection and have signed Marriott.

These are the three properties, one of which is not yet open:

• The Edinburgh Grand on St Andrew Square will join Marriott’s Luxury Collection, the first property under that brand in Scotland. It has 50 apartments.

• Old Town Chambers, opposite St Giles Cathedral, will join Autograph Collection. It has 75 apartments.

• The Colourist, due to open in 2027 on Princes Street, will join Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, which is (roughly) the four star version of Autograph Collection

All three properties have the same owner, hence the parallel moves. The picture above is The Edinburgh Grand.

What is a little odd is seeing aparthotels joining Marriott’s standard hotel brands. Someone searching for an apartment-hotel is arguably more likely to look at an established brand like Cheval Collection rather than assuming they would find one masquerading as a regular Marriott hotel.

Even more confusingly, there are now three Sonder aparthotels in Edinburgh listed on the Marriott website following a distribution deal recently agreed with Bonvoy. Sonder is a dedicated aparthotel chain and the sites have ‘aparthotel’ in their names.

The two open hotels will join Marriott on 1st July but are not yet bookable via Marriott channels.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (July 2025)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 15th July 2025, the sign-up bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card is TRIPLED to 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. This would convert into 25,000 Avios or into 40 other airline schemes. It would also get you at least £300 of Marriott hotel stays based on our 0.5p per point low-end valuation. Other T&C apply and remain unchanged. Click here for our full card review and click here to apply.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card

60,000 points (to 15th July) and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.

We reviewed The Platinum Card from American Express in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• The American Express Business Gold Card (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• The American Express Business Platinum Card (50,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.