Chic hotel group Malmaison is to buy The Queen’s Hotel in Queens Road, Aberdeen. This will add a 50-bedroom boutique-style hotel to the city’s already impressive range of accommodation, and should particularly appeal to corporates who want to give their employees and delegates a taste of luxury with a different flavour.

Welcoming the move, Jacky Selway, business tourism manager of Aberdeen Convention Bureau, commented: "This will be a welcome addition to bedstocks in Aberdeen. There are currently in the region of 4,000 beds in Aberdeen properties that are classified between thee and five star. As the European capital for servicing the oil and gas industry, Aberdeen has a buoyant economy and regularly hosts business visitors for conferences, exhibitions and meetings. A boutique hotel is likely to appeal to such discerning visitors."