Experience fame
by Ellis Cochrane
Experience is key to the uniquely and modernly decadent House of Gods, a hotel that is redefining what it means to spend an evening, or several, away.
Photo by Asa Rodger; courtesy of House of Gods
Located just off Edinburgh’s illustrious Royal Mile in Cowgate, allow yourself to fall down the rabbit hole and live out a fantasy at a destination where more is more.
Take in the huge panels of Gucci Heron wallpaper and neon signs adorning the walls in Lilith’s Lounge, the rich, lavish fabrics and materials enveloping every surface and the overall indulgently maximalist interiors in every room.
Whether you’re staying in their Orient Express inspired Cabin, Versailles-styled Classic room or the sumptuous Suite, you are in for a hotel experience like no other.
We sat down with CEO and co-owner Mike Baxter, who works alongside his brother and other co-owner Ross, as well as the wider team to reflect their distinctive personalities in the 22 room boutique hotel and cocktail bar.
While taking inspiration from opulent heritage properties like The Dorchester and The Savoy and other impressive hotels around the world, House of Gods feels incredibly regal and otherworldly but with a contemporary twist and a good measure of bespoke cocktails and exclusive treats.
“We wanted to create something much more experiential. Somewhere people would come to us, check in at 3pm and literally not leave the place until check out. In order to do that it has to be a pretty special experience,” Mike states.
“House of Gods, in my mind, is not a hotel. A hotel to me is an accommodation solution. Of course, you are going to sleep at House of Gods but it’s not about that. It’s about being in this crazy room that you would never normally be in. It’s an entire 360 fantasy.”
Known for their incredibly popular ‘Treat Me Like I’m Famous’ rider, that includes a rose petal, balloon-filled room topped with exclusive handmade chocolates, an in-room cocktail service, bedtime milk and cookies brought to you by their butler, a luxury breakfast upgrade complete with mimosas, plus much more, this has ultimately helped to develop who they are as a hotel.
When people come and stay at House of Gods, they are essentially treated as if they are a god or a deity, is what inspired the name of the hotel itself. Or, in the modern context, someone famous.
Photo by Jodie Mann; courtesy of House of Gods
Photo by Jodie Mann; courtesy of House of Gods
“It’s funny actually, it was kind of an accident. I was showing somebody around before the hotel was officially open and I was trying to describe what it would be like to come here. That person said ‘this is kind of like the kind of hotel that Johnny Depp would come to’. And the ‘Treat Me Like I’m Famous’ rider was born.”
With two new House of Gods hotels opening in Glasgow and Manchester in Autumn of 2022, Mike could not be more excited.
“As Scottish boys it was important to do Glasgow. What Edinburgh has in its tourism and beauty and reasons for people coming from all over the UK – Glasgow has an energy, a vibrancy and fun that I just can’t wait to throw House of Gods into. We’re definitely making it more rock and roll, as all the big bands always play Glasgow.”
Expect even more extravagance at the 31-room House of Gods Glasgow as Mike confirms that they’re creating their own fabric, working with perfumers to encapsulate the scent of the hotel, establishing a secret cocktail bar and possibly even installing a retractable rooftop bar.
Located in Glasgow’s Merchant City, in a building built in 1908, they have had to strip back over 110 years of history but in doing so have revealed some really interesting and breathtaking things.
“We have this amazing canvas to really create something special,” Mike affirms.
And we can’t wait to pay it a visit when it opens.