Staying in Glasgow

It’s usually suggested on here to check booking.com for your dates to see what’s available and at what price range.

Thank you Margie for your response. We have checked multiple sites including booking.com.

It would be helpful to respondents to know your budget.

But the VOCO Grand Central is on for 4 nights from as low as £630 on random dates I have looked at in September.

That has a fantastic city centre location, being attached to Glasgow Central Railway Station and is a wonderful hotel. Looking at the Dakota you could get a Premium room at the VOCO for the same money.

A wide range of restaurants are within very easy walking distance. The Grasshopper was in one of the streets beside Central Station (and closed because Network Rail determined the lease) so you are very close to where it was.

You can arrive at Central station from Edinburgh if you choose to, or take the free inter station shuttle bus from Queen Street if you arrive there.

I am also going to recommend the Voco Grand Central - I stayed there year before last and have another stay reserved there in March. Grand old station hotel. I loved it. (I had previously stayed at Grasshoppers and Premier Inn.)

If you want to stay in the west end, there looks to be quite a choice of places on booking.com. I'm not the guy to ask about hotels, but if I were in your position of looking for place to stay there's a few I'd be checking out.

Royal West End Hotel and The Grosvenor are in a great location in the heart of the west end, The intersection of Great Western Road Queen Margaret Drive and Byres Road. Handy for The Botanic Gardens, and of course Byres Road and Ashton Lane. One Devonshire Gardens is probably out of your budget range, but take a look.

The Sandyford Hotel is another good location, handy for the restaurants in Finnieston and the park, museum and art gallery at Kelvingrove. There's also a Best Western and The Argyll Hotel on the same street. Easy walk into the city centre from this area too.

I can see a lot of very nice apartments to rent on booking.com. If you look in the area of Park Circus or Woodlands you're well placed for the west end and the city centre too.

I'd probably be a bit contrary and say I wouldn't recommend staying around Glasgow Central Station to a visitor if they wanted to stay somewhere "nice". I'm definitely a bit meh about Gordon Street, Union Street, Hope Street and the corner of Argyle Street. It can be quite a high bam to normal folk ratio, especially on weekend nights. I don't really like the few blocks west of there either, in the business district, Bothwell Street etc. If you want to be in the city centre, Bath Street, St Vincent Street, Blythswood, a bit further up the hill could be better. I see The Dakota is in that area now I look for it, that seems like quite a good city centre location. The Merchant City is also a more attractive location in the city centre.

Before writing I thought about the Merchant City Inn as I like it. Their booking engine isn't working (tried on PC and on mobile), nor can I get them on booking.com. The most recent review is May 2024.
I tried 'Check Availability' and it sent me to a hotel in the Lake District.
All in all I am not convinced they are still open.
If they are it isn't a first good impression.

I was having a look at booking.com's map of locations in the Merchant City. Rab Ha's in Hutcheson Street caught my eye. It's been a restaurant with a great reputation for many years, but I didn't realise they had rooms. Looks incredibly tasteful, though maybe expensive.

Centring a search around Ingram Street, Stockwell Street, Candleriggs, Bell Street etc on booking may turn up other places that appeal. Not east of High Street and you'd be choosing carefully south of Trongate.

I'd probably be a bit contrary and say I wouldn't recommend staying around Glasgow Central Station to a visitor if they wanted to stay somewhere "nice". I'm definitely a bit meh about Gordon Street, Union Street, Hope Street and the corner of Argyle Street. It can be quite a high bam to normal folk ratio, especially on weekend nights.

I fundamentally don't agree with Gerry M about Gordon Street especially. I don't know what 'bam' people are but hope it is not a judgemental statement (I have my suspicions what it means).

Gordon Street is pretty nice, and a good night time economy. And I've been there as late as 1am and as early as 4am (I'd rather be there at 4am than Chinatown in central Manchester), and never felt unsafe. I'd rather it was that way than quiet. I think it's pulled itself up over the years.
Personally I've always been a bit off about Union Street, but those who stayed at the Grasshoppers allayed that to an extent. I write that as someone who one time last summer at around 6pm on a weekday encountered a fast moving roving street fight in the middle of Union Street- at least two people bottled and a lot of blood. But that could happen anywhere at all and anytime, I don't see it as a Union Street or even a Glasgow problem. It seemed to be a heavily escalated domestic situation from what I could gather.

Bam is the diminutive of "bampot". https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/bampot

I reserve the right to be judgemental about some people, thanks very much :)

Your story about what happened just last summer illustrates the sort of stuff that that few blocks attracts, and has done as long as my memory goes back (35 years-ish?). Last time I stood in Gordon Street to smoke before my train a couple of years ago the chap standing next to me was serving customers, even though I might look like a senior copper to some. Going back a loooong way, I worked in McDonalds in Argyle Street and saw two horrific stabbings. The only time I've been interviewed as witness to a murder. I also saw someone brutally stabbed in the back by a stranger in Dunkin Donuts, where Tim Horton's is now on the corner of Argyle Street. Long time ago, but these things stay with you. I'm not around there as much as I used to be, but from my understanding it's not changed all that significantly.

It's not unsafe for the visitor unless they're out causing trouble, which I doubt many RSE contributors would be. The bam count is high though.