Beauty and the beast

The beauty and grandeur of the Victoria Hall spire, now part of the Edinburgh International Festival Hub, stands out against the bright blue sky over Victoria Street. Opened in 1845, it's a landmark building on the Edinburgh skyline and publicly owned.

Contrast with the megablock corporate blandness of the Missoni hotel, opened in 2009, owned and operated by the global Rezidor group who are, of course, "committed to rapid expansion".