AN international hotel brand with a difference has announced plans for its first Scottish venture.

Yotel, due to open in Erskine House in Edinburgh’s Queen Street in early 2019, will consist of 280 “cabins”.

They are said to be inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, but with added luxury touches. Yotel also puts a heavy emphasis on technology, with each cabin featuring a “technowall” with adjustable mood lighting, smart TVs for easy connectivity to electronic devices, and an adjustable “smartbed”.

The hotel group, owned by the Starwood Capital Group, already operates four airport hotels at Gatwick, Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle, plus city hotels in New York, Boston and Singapore.

Yotel chief executive Youbert Viriot, said: “Our contemporary and playful design, together with technology-driven experiences, will offer an exciting alternative to the current mostly traditional offering. Yotel is on a rapid expansion path and the announcement of our Edinburgh city hotel plays an integral part in our future plans in Scotland and the rest of the globe.”

The project will be designed by Edinburgh-based Fletcher Joseph Architects and global interior designer, Aedas with construction by ISG.