Last Updated on 12/10/2019 by secretmoona

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Planning a trip to Glasgow? Glasgow has certainly enough hotels to accommodate every budget. If you are looking for an affordable luxury hotel which is both quirky and modern, then keep on reading my review of citizenM hotel Glasgow and find out why it might be just right for you.   

citizenM Hotel Glasgow Review

I was keen on staying at CitizenM Hotel Glasgow during my weekend in Glasgow since I visited citizenM London Bankside few years ago. In fact, citizenM Glasgow is the Dutch brand’s first venture outside of the Netherlands.

A cross between a luxury and a pod hotel, the hotel chain pride themselves on offering affordable luxury for their guests. With hotels in Amsterdam, Paris, London and New York, CitizenM is becoming a global brand.

Hotel details

CitizenM Glasgow is located on Renfrew Street in the northern part of the city centre. It’s a great location as it is within walking distance to several attractions like the Royal Concert Hall , Theatre Royal Glasgow (you could see it from my room), Glasgow School of Art, Sauchiehall Street and Buchanan Galleries for shopping.

It’s also well located for restaurants, pubs and bars. For a decent burger, head to Bread Meats Bread and for a nice coffee, The Project Café is just around the corner. Singl-end on the same street serves all-day brunches and lunches. 

In terms of transport links, again the hotel is well located. Buchanan Bus Station is only 5 minutes walk, Queens Street Station is 7 minutes whereas Glasgow Central Station will take you 10 minutes to reach. 

• citizenM Glasgow
• Rooms at start from £57
• citizenM Glasgow, 60 Renfrew Street, Glasgow G2 3BW (020 3519 1111)

Check-in

The cool thing about CitizenM Glasgow is the quick and efficient check-in process. The check-in is self-service, you pick a room key, enter your booking reference along with your name into the computer et voila!. It will take you less than a minute to check-in. If you are struggling there are always staff around to provide some helping hand. 

You get to choose the floor and location of the room (front or back). I went for a room on the 6th floor and back facing. 

You can check-in from 2 pm and check out is 11 am sharp. Should you wish to stay a little longer, there is a late check out option for £29. 

Read more: How to Spend a Weekend in Glasgow

The Room

With 198 rooms, the hotel feels neither small nor big. No space is wasted in the red and white themed rooms. As you enter the room, you have the shower cubicle on one side and the sink on the other. The wall to wall king-size bed takes up most of the room space. It’s so huge that you can practically sleep in any direction! 

Next to the bed is a small table which serves at the bedside table and stand for the iPad. Referred to as mood pad, it controls pretty much everything in the room: lights, TV, temperature, blinds and curtains. If only it could control the weather…

I love that they have UK, EU  and US sockets in the room. So, if you have forgotten your adapter, you won’t have to buy one. 

There is a wide range of channels, music stations and new movies available. If none of them were to your liking, you can stream your own content from your mobile phone or tablet.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is divided with the shower room and washbasin separate. The sink offers some storage and mirror. The shower room is quite compact with the toilet and shower room together, although it was bigger than some places I stayed at. The built-in shower/toilet cubicle is cool with the frosted glass but doesn’t give much privacy. The rainshower was just amazing. 

To keep up with their conscious mindset, they offer two combined shower gel/shampoo options – AM for early birds and PM for night owls. I prefer the PM version.

The bathroom didn’t have much extra amenities, but the usual hairdryer, towels and combined shampoo/shower gels were there.

Food and Drinks @ canteenM

The hotel has a bar/restaurant “canteenM” located on the first floor. Rather than a full restaurant, it’s more like a small 24/7 shop selling snacks, sandwiches, salads, canned drinks etc…

The adjacent bar offers anything from hot drinks to beer and mocktails.

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I didn’t eat in the hotel but had coffee which was very good by the way. Instead, I opted against getting breakfast which costs £13.95 in favour of brunch at one of the best coffee shops in Glasgow: Singl-end. I have previously had breakfast in the London branch so know that they do some fresh baked goods as well as fried up. If you decide to eat in, know that the self-service buffet will have everything you need: continental breakfast (pastries, cereals, yoghurts, fruit, juice, cheese) or English (bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, tomatoes etc…)

More hotel reviews here:

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Hotel Rotary Geneva MGallery by Sofitel: Hotel Review

The Living Rooms

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To compensate for the small rooms, communal spaces including the lobby bar and mezzanine library are inviting and spacious. Walking into the mezzanine located on the ground floor behind the check-in desks is like walking into a designer’s living space. Books, ornaments, magazines, large sofas and computers are available for guests use. 

In addition to the living spaces on the ground floor, SocietyM offers 5 meeting rooms. These rooms can be booked separately via societym.com.

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There are plenty of seating, tables with high chairs, sofas and individual chairs. Therefore, you can either work there, socialise or read a book for example. 

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Final Thoughts

CitizenM is a quirky, modern, yet affordable hotel. The price, design, unbeatable location, friendly staff and amazingly comfortable bed are some of the many reasons I was impressed by the hotel. The two things which I enjoyed most were their bed and shower. I would definitely return to this property or try out other locations like Paris or New York. 

More accommodation ideas in Glasgow:

• Ibis Styles Glasgow City Centre – Modern budget hotel with good sized rooms
• Euro Hostel Glasgow – Great option for all ages, families and groups.

Mid-range:

• Citizen M – Big comfortable beds and mood lighting
• Hotel Indigo – Very pleasing rooms with top facilities

Luxury: 

• Malmaison – Stylish modern boutique hotel 
• Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel – Luxury with awesome spa
• Radisson Blu Hotel – Scandi cool hotel ideal for both business travellers or couples

Have you stayed at citizenM before? Where would you want to stay during your trip to Glasgow?