How times change. Hen nights used to be all about prowling through Dublin or Prague in matching “Drunk and gorgeous” T-shirts and daring the bride-to-be to get off with the barman. These days they’re more likely to involve lounging in pink satin pyjamas, sipping champagne from the comfort of a luxury hotel suite and asking your personal butler whether he thinks you opt for the “advanced concept ” facial or the “totally blissful” back, face and scalp massage.

For anyone planning a winter wedding, the perfect antidote to Scotland’s long dark evenings is right here at home. Who cares about the weather if you’re tucked up in a luxury bathrobe and clasped in the warm embrace of a bubbly-induced fug?

Certainly not Alison McIntosh. The 30-year-old Edinburgh dentist recently spent her hen night on a girlie sleepover at Glasgow’s One Devonshire Gardens. “We came across the hotel after we’d already booked somewhere else for the wedding night. I hadn’t even thought of having my hen night there — I didn’t think they’d want a big group of girls checking in — but when they heard I was disappointed that we couldn’t go there for our wedding night, they suggested I have my hen night there instead. They gave us a floor to ourselves and a great rate.”

Several other luxury Scottish hotels have been quick to cater for this new demand. Over in the west, Langs, Mar Hall and the Turnberry all offer special packages for girls’ nights in, and so does the Balmoral in Edinburgh, where my sister and I booked in last week to see what the experience is like first-hand.

It doesn’t take long to discover that a good night in can be every bit as rewarding as a raucous night out. Especially if champagne and cocktails are on tap, there’s an on-call massage therapist with the fingers of a dextrous angel and enough spring rolls, chicken skewers and chocolate-dipped strawberries to feed a whole canapé-munching battalion. Not to mention one of the most dazzling views of the city from your pillow.

The Balmoral’s “pyjama party” is individually tailored to each group, but roughly includes all the above and a bit more. At about £400 per person it’s not cheap, but the price includes staying in the 1,500-sq-ft presidential suite. For those on a more moderate budget, the package can be scaled down.

First up was a whizz round the spa. We checked in too late to use the pool, but with a therapist waiting in our suite and a bar to explore, there was plenty to distract us. As Rachel settled down to a back rub, I stepped into a huge claw-foot bath and tried to accomplish the tricky task of balancing a champagne glass in one hand while keeping a slippery copy of InStyle afloat with the other. Once we’d been pummelled into a near stupor by the masseuse and slipped into those pink satin pyjamas, it was all we could do to pick up a tapenade crostini, let alone think about pulling on a pair of heels and venturing to the bar.

Back at the Balmoral, as we ooed and ahhed over the dessert platter, I thought back to a recent survey that warned that moving in with a man can make a woman fat. After our big night in, I’m starting to think that moving in with a girlfriend might well be worse. Between us Rachel and I put away enough party food to keep Paris Hilton going for a year before collapsing in front of the enormous television to watch a chick flick on DVD and catch up on gossip.

What you’re really paying for with a hotel pyjama party, of course, is a completely carefree evening. On a normal hen night some unlucky soul (usually the chief bridesmaid) has to organise the event and deal with the financial complications of Sally (who wants to do the horse-riding but not pay for a stripper) and Judith (who gets stroppy about money at the end of the trip because she only had two starters and three glasses of wine) and the like. With a hotel sleepover, everyone pays a fixed amount and the staff do the rest. Even the chief bridesmaid can have a good time.

“Everyone said that they’d never been to such a well-run hen party before,” agrees McIntosh, of her night at One Devonshire Gardens. “They sorted out everything for us, from a cocktail demonstration by male waiters to a special room for dinner, where we could make speeches and have a laugh without disturbing other guests.

“They even ordered tea and biscuits for my mum and aunt when they called it a night before the rest of us. It was all very slick and friendly.”

Details: The Balmoral, 1 Princes Street, Edinburgh (0870 460 7040; www.thebalmoralhotel.com). Pyjama party packages cost about £400 per person.

One Devonshire Gardens, 1 Devonshire Gardens, Glasgow (www.onedevonshiregardens.com; 0141 339 2001). Town-house suites start from £365 per night. Extras can include champagne afternoon teas, classic DVDs, cocktail tastings, yoga lessons and spa treatments.

Langs hotel, 2 Port Dundas Place, Glasgow (0141 333 1500; www.langshotels.co.uk). Pyjama parties start from £180 for a two-person suite, with extras such as bathrobes, specially selected DVDs, in-room manicures and party food payable on top.

Mar Hall, Eral of Mar Estate, Bishopton, near Glasgow (0141 812 9999; www.marhall.com). Cosy Night In packages start from £220 per person for a two-night stay, including a champagne welcome basket, a one-hour Aveda spa treatment per person per day, DVDs, snacks and a full Scottish breakfast.

The Turnberry Westin Resort, Ayrshire (01655 331000; www.turnberry.co.uk). Girls in a Lodge packages start from £170 per person for two nights including full Scottish breakfast, a mini bottle of Moët, a box of chocolates and a 55-minute spa treatment.

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