The five townhouses on George Street that make up the hotel's historic core, Nos. 15–25,[1] were constructed around 1780 as part of Edinburgh's New Town, to designs by John Young.[2] They are now a category A listed building.[3] In 1840, No. 19 George Street was remodeled by architect David Bryce,[2] as the headquarters of the Caledonian Insurance Company. It is today the hotel's main entrance.
In 1860, a hotel opened in Nos. 21 & 23, gradually expanding to cover the upper levels of the other buildings as well. In 1879, the Caledonian Insurance Company expanded to Nos. 15 & 17, with remodeling carried out by MacGibbon and Ross.[2] In 1881, the hotel portion became The George Hotel. In 1905, the hotel was completely remodeled, with the addition of luxurious public rooms on the ground floor.[1]
In 1939, the Caledonian Insurance Company moved out, selling their premises to The George Hotel. The outbreak of World War II prevented a planned expansion, and the offices were requisitioned by the Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes until 1946.[1] The old insurance offices finally opened as the expanded George Hotel in 1950. In 1958, the hotel proposed a 17-story tower wing in the rear, but a public inquiry prevented its construction. The George Hotel's owners, Grand Metropolitan,[4] eventually built a smaller 7-storey rear wing, designed by Henry Wylie, in 1967.[2]
When Grand Metropolitan bought Inter-Continental Hotels in 1981, they placed the George in that company's Forum Hotels division. In the early 1990s, the George was remodeled and transferred to the upscale Inter-Continental Hotels division as the George Inter-Continental Edinburgh. InterContinental Hotels sold the George to the Principal Hotel Company for £20 million in June 2005,[5] and the hotel returned to its original name, before being completely renovated in 2006.[1] It was voted Best Hotel in Edinburgh at the Scottish Hotel Awards 2009.[6]
In 2015–16, London-based interior design studio Goddard Littlefair redesigned the hotel's interiors.[7] The former Tempus Bar & Restaurant reopened in 2015 as The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen, under the direction of chef-restaurateur Des McDonald, previously of The Ritz and The Ivy in London.[8] On 1 November 2016, at the conclusion of the renovations, Principal Hotels renamed the hotel The Principal Edinburgh George Street.[9] In May 2018, InterContinental Hotels bought Principal Hotels,[10] and the hotel was renamed InterContinental Edinburgh The George on 31 July 2019.[11]