Plans have been unveiled to convert the old Royal High School building on Calton Hill in Edinburgh into a luxury hotel. The A-listed building originally designed by Thomas Hamilton is crumbling and derelict and has been largely unused since the former boys school moved to another site in city in 1968.Three hotel chains, none of which currently operate in Scotland, have been shortlisted to operate the property.

The new hotel will add another tier at the top of Edinburgh’s hotel stock and is expected to cement the city’s reputation as a destination for international diplomatic events and global conferences.

An application for outline planning consent is due to be submitted in January 2015, with a three-day public exhibition at the old Royal High School in February which will set out further details.