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Newly opened Revolver hostel-cum-hotel in Glasgow aims to offer an inclusive space to stay in the heart of Merchant City, with a range of shared and individual rooms. Vada Magazine was recently offered a stay; here’s what we thought.
Revolver
Revolver is located above Polo Lounge, the stalwart bar and club in the centre of Merchant City, the gay district of Glasgow. For queer people looking for a convenient place to stay, Revolver cannot be beaten on location. Revolver opened in August 2022 with a couple of floors of accommodation, and a third floor (under construction during our visit) with planned rooftop terrace, gym and treatment rooms.
Revolver does not feel like a typical hostel. The management company, WORQ, behind Revolver, has intentionally created a boutique feel, with lux lighting, neon installations and welcoming communal spaces for guests to work and relax. They have employed Glasgow-based queer artist to Lewis Quinn to provide the artworks throughout the communal spaces and rooms. The only thing that’s missing in our opinion is a Jan Kuck “time matters” neon installation in pride an trans colours.
Accommodation
Revolver offers shared rooms, individual rooms (with either shared or en-suite bathrooms) and will soon offer apartments on the third floor, which will bring the total rooms available to 88 in number. The varying room types means Revolver offers accommodation types for solo travellers on a budget, groups of friends, or couples.
We stayed in an en-suite double room (number 118). This particular room has plenty of space as is one of the accessible rooms. Some original features of the building are maintained such as the tall sash windows, cast iron radiator, and sheer height of the room. Though not being double-glazed this does not do much to reduce the inevitable noise from Polo Lounge below. The large double bed is particularly comfortable, and Revolver have revived the interiors with wood, geometric soft furnishings, and of course more artwork – this time a close-up of a Barbie with some stardust she seemingly forgot to wipe away. Throughout the communal spaces and rooms, Revolver uses a range of fun lighting, which all adds to the boutique feel.
As well as towels (black embossed with Revolver in red), the hotel provides branded condoms and earbuds in-room. Note, the latter does not block out the noise of Polo Lounge at 2am. The bathroom was effectively a large wet-room (as this was an accessible room) but did mean we got an extra large walk-in shower with capacity for the taller amongst us.
Overall the room was very comfortable, our only point of note was limited shelves / storage space.
Amenities
During our visit, the main amenity was the main lobby space which doubles as a dining space and working area for those who want to work there. The cafe offers a range of healthier breakfast options, hot drinks, and salads throughout the day. There are a range of booths, tables, and comfortable low seating depending on guests’ needs. Up on the second floor, there are also a few window nooks with comfortable seating as alternative working locations. As mentioned, there is a planned rooftop terrace with gym and treatment rooms, which should be open in the very near future (from the time of writing).
As most of the accommodation is shared with communal bathroom spaces, it is worth pointing out that there are plenty of separate toilet and shower rooms off the main corridors on both floors, so whatever type of accommodation guests choose they are unlikely to ever need to queue for anything.
As Polo Lounge is immediately downstairs, Revolver guests are only a moment from the drag performances there on the first Wednesday of every month. Such close proximity to this and other is an invaluable benefit.
Service
Throughout our 2-night stay, we found friendly service at Revolver at both check-in and breakfast, with staff providing the usual Glaswegian chatty, helpful service we have come to expect from our previous visits to the city.
Overall thoughts
Revolver has made a noticeable addition to the hostel and hotel scene with Glasgow. We recommend this to guests who are on a budget, or looking to meet and chat with other queer (and ally) guests during their visit to Glasgow. The dark interior with lots of red neon lighting reads as red-light district, but Revolver is not that – the energy in reality is a lot calmer and friendlier. For the price point, amenities and funky furnishings, Revolver therefore offers a lot of value to a budget traveller.
Additionally, the location of Revolver is ideal for those wanting to explore Glasgow’s gay district, primarily the bars, and the gay sauna Pipeworks, is a short walk also.
Revolver is located at 62 Virginia Street, Glasgow, G1 1TX.
For more information or to book direct, visit revolverhotel.co.uk. Prices start from £25 per night (for a bed in a shared room), depending on availability.
