Schroders Capital, the $99.3 billion[1] private markets business of Schroders, today announces that it has completed the acquisition of the 244-bed, W Edinburgh from Nuveen Real Estate.
W Edinburgh, Marriott International’s first luxury property in the market and the first W Hotel in Scotland, opened November 2023. The hotel is ideally situated in St James Square in the heart of Edinburgh, offering spacious rooms, bold designs and exceptional facilities. It comprises three distinct buildings: the Ribbon Building, James Craig Walk and the Quarter House. James Craig Walk is a heritage listed terrace named after the Scottish architect, dating from 1775. The newly-built Quarter House design was inspired by traditional Edinburgh architecture, interlinking with the 12-storey Ribbon Building which features spectacular 360° views over the city.
Schroders Capital currently manages GBP 3.1 billion2 of investments in hotel businesses operated by a dedicated team of 40 people located in offices in London, Paris, Milan and Amsterdam.
James Macnamara, Global Head of Value Add and Alternatives, Real Estate, Schroders Capital, said:
“The addition of the W Edinburgh to our portfolio is hugely exciting, as we continue to identify top-tier hotel assets that can facilitate multiple ways to create value and offer significant long-term growth potential. Edinburgh is an attractive market for Schroders Capital and we look forward to working with the highly experienced and agile team at the hotel to ensure guest experience remains in line with the W brand quality and ethos. We expect this investment to follow many other successful collaborations between Schroders Capital and Marriott International in the luxury hotels space such as the St Regis in Venice and The Westin Palace in Milan.”
Ed Webb, Director of Development Management, Nuveen, said:
“The completion of the sale of the W Edinburgh marks a considerable milestone for St James Quarter as the first transaction realises over a decade of planning and development to deliver a leading destination in the heart of Edinburgh and the completion of a vision shared by our investors. The hotel itself has become an iconic landmark within the city centre whilst also providing a best-in-class offering worthy of Edinburgh’s status as a global tourist destination and recognised by being awarded Scottish hotel of the year 2025.”
Schroders Capital and its clients were advised by CMS and Carey Olsen.
Nuveen Real Estate were advised by Savills and Eastdil Secured (brokers), Herbert Smith Freehills and CMS (legal), and EY (finance / tax).
For further information, please contact:
Schroders Capital
Rachael Dowers, Media Relations Lead, Private Markets | +44 207 658 2086 |
Nuveen Real Estate
Charlotte Stickings-Baker Senior PR Manager, Nuveen | + 44 (0) 7973 953675 |
Note to Editors
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About St James Quarter
St James Quarter is Edinburgh’s largest development in a generation - a new 1.7 million sq ft masterplan in urban placemaking. Comprising 850,000 sq ft of retail space, St James Quarter complements the luxury shopping offer of neighbouring retailer Harvey Nichols, which anchors the premium shopping street of Multrees Walk. Completing the city centre’s retail circuit with John Lewis, Zara, & Other Stories, LEGO, and Kurt Geiger to name a few. It is also home to an enticing mix of new restaurants, cafés and bars; and Scotland’s first W Hotel – W Edinburgh – which includes 244 stylish guestrooms, a SushiSamba restaurant on the 10th floor, a destination bar - Joao’s Place, outdoor terrace, chef’s table, and an AWAY® Spa. St James Quarter also includes a boutique five-screen Everyman Cinema, a luxury aparthotel brand Roomzzz, comprising 74-rooms; and 152 New Eidyn residential apartments by Native Land; in addition to delivering nine new public squares and 1,600 car parking spaces.
Schroders Capital
Schroders Capital provides investors with access to a broad range of private market investment opportunities, portfolio building blocks and customised private market strategies. Its team focuses on delivering best-in-class, risk-adjusted returns and executing investments through a combination of direct investment capabilities and broader solutions in all private market asset classes, through comingled funds and customised private market mandates.
The team aims to achieve sustainable returns through a rigorous approach and in alignment with a culture characterised by performance, collaboration and integrity.
With $99.3 billion (£79.3 billion; €95.9 billion)* assets under management, Schroders Capital offers a diversified range of investment strategies, including real estate, private equity, secondaries, venture capital, infrastructure, securitised products and asset-based finance, private debt, insurance-linked securities and BlueOrchard (Impact Specialists).
*Assets under management as at 31 December 2024 (including non-fee earning dry powder and in-house cross holdings)
Schroders plc
Schroders is a global investment manager which provides active asset management, wealth management and investment solutions, with £778.7 billion (€941.8 billion; $975.3 billion) of assets under management at 31 December 2024. As a UK listed FTSE100 company, Schroders has a market capitalisation of circa £6 billion and over 6,000 employees across 38 locations. Established in 1804, Schroders remains true to its roots as a family-founded business. The Schroder family continues to be a significant shareholder, holding approximately 44% of the issued share capital.
Schroders' success can be attributed to its diversified business model, spanning different asset classes, client types and geographies. The company offers innovative products and solutions through four core business divisions: Public Markets, Solutions, Wealth Management, and Schroders Capital, which focuses on private markets, including private equity, renewable infrastructure investing, private debt & credit alternatives, and real estate.
Schroders aims to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. This means directing capital towards resilient businesses with sustainable business models, consistently with the investment goals of its clients. Schroders serves a diverse client base that includes pension schemes, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth individuals, family offices, as well as end clients through partnerships with distributors, financial advisers, and online platforms.
Issued by Schroder Investment Management Limited. Registration No 1893220 England. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. For regular updates by e-mail please register online at www.schroders.com for our alerting service.
About Nuveen Real Estate
Nuveen Real Estate is one of the largest investment managers in the world with $141 billion of assets under management.
Managing a suite of funds and mandates, across both public and private investments, and spanning both debt and equity across diverse geographies and investment styles, we provide access to every aspect of real estate investing.
With over 90 years of real estate investing experience and more than 750 employees* located across 30+ cities throughout the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific, the platform offers global reach with deep sector expertise, providing investors access to high quality investments across the private real estate investment landscape.
For further information, please visit us at nuveen.com/realestate
*Includes 360+ real estate investment professionals, supported by a further 414 Nuveen employees.
Source: Nuveen, 31 December 2024.
[1] As of 31 December 2024 (including non-fee earning dry powder and in-house cross holdings)
2 As of 31 December 2024