97-99 King's Road, Brighton, United Kingdom | (888) 499-9698
Stately historic hotel with majestic public spaces
Lovely oceanfront views and easy access to the sand and pier
Refurbished rooms, some with balconies and sea views
On-site restaurant serving all meals, plus bar and lounge
Popular afternoon tea and 24-hour room service
Luxurious spa with steam room and sauna, plus fitness facilities
Meeting rooms for up to 900 people
Free breakfast
Free Wi-Fi
Limited parking is expensive
Fee to use fitness and spa facilities if not booking spa
treatment
Traffic noise can be heard from some rooms
Rooms aren't as memorable as the public areas
The 201-room, four-pearl Grand Brighton is a classic waterfront
hotel that originally opened in 1864. It offers spacious renovated rooms, many with private
balconies and lovely ocean views, as well as majestic public spaces, a fine-dining restaurant, and a full-service spa. Guest rooms are tastefully decorated, if not quite as grandiose as other areas; roomy black-and-white bathrooms are a highlight.
Free breakfast adds value, but on-site parking is
expensive, and guests not booking spa treatments must pay a fee to use the fitness
center facilities. The adjacent Hilton Brighton Metropole is a similar hotel
with better rates on certain dates.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Busy waterfront hotel with majestic public spaces
Classic grande-dame hotels usually flaunt rich and dramatic public spaces, and the circa-1864 Grand Brighton is no exception. Its regal staircase winds to the top (seventh) floor where a large skylight illuminates
the white walls and richly patterned carpeting on the 123 steps, creating a
majestic sight. The hotel’s public spaces are ornate and regal with arches,
dark columns, rich wood, crown molding, and terrazzo floors. The tony fine-dining
restaurant continues the decor with dark columns and hardwood floors framing the
wooden, circular bar in the room’s center. Red leather benches line the walls.
The lovely, enclosed lounge terrace is much brighter with banks of windows
overlooking the sea, and ocean-blue upholstered armchairs frame modern glass
tables. It’s an ideal setting for the Grand Brighton's wildly popular afternoon tea.
This is a busy yet refined hotel for discerning travelers who love traditional hotels with a heavy dose of atmosphere.
Location
On Brighton's waterfront, walkable to many attractions
The Grand is located on the Brighton waterfront, surrounded
by other hotels, restaurants, and attractions but a bit west from the central
commercial center, so it's in a quieter area. There is a small sandy beach area in front of the hotel. The Brighton Pier is an 11-minute walk away, and The Lanes shopping district is a seven-minute walk. The Brighton Dome
concert hall, Royal Pavilion, and Brighton Museum & Art Gallery are approximately
a 13-minute walk or train ride, and the Theater Royal Brighton is an 11-minute walk.
The train station at Brighton Centre is a two-minute walk, and the main Brighton
Railway Station is 11 minutes by train or a 15-minute walk. The University of Brighton
International College is 18 minutes away by train. Gatwick Airport is about 45
minutes away by car or train, and London’s Victoria Station is about 80 minutes
by train. Limited on-site parking is available for a fee that’s rather expensive, but there is a large garage adjacent to the hotel with better rates.
Rooms
Spacious with nice decor, but not as palatial as other areas
Rooms come in seven categories, with most of the more spacious
deluxe and suite options offering sea views, and many of those rooms feature private balconies as well. Renovated in 2013, all rooms earn high marks for being clean,
spacious, and comfortable. Decor and layout can vary by room and category and while
tasteful and upscale, the overall feel isn't quite as lavish or imposing as the public spaces.The Classic Double
Sea View rooms offer corniced ceilings, light
gray painted walls, and black-and-white photography of seaside attractions.
Red-and-white striped armchairs and bedspreads and crimson upholstered velvet
desk chairs add color. Doors leading out to small balconies (in rooms that have them) allow ample
natural light. A few design-conscious details like tripod floor lamps and X-leg desks (that hold flat-screen TVs) give a bit of extra glamor to the traditional decor. Egyptian cotton linens on king-size beds also up the elegance. Spacious
bathrooms are another highlight with wood floors, brilliant white wall
tiles, large white-and-black granite-top vanities, and black granite-framed
wall mirrors bracketed by fluorescent lights. White shower/tub
combos with rainfall showerheads come stocked with Red Flower organic toiletries. Some
rooms offer walk-in showers and separate tubs. The top-floor King Suite has a
separate toilet area on the upper level of its two-level layout that also
features a dining/lounge area and a private, equipped gym. All rooms have free Wi-Fi, robes, coffee/tea kettles, and electronic safes. Traffic
noise can be heard from some rooms, especially on the lower levels.
Features
Afternoon tea, restaurant/bar, full-service spa, and free Wi-Fi
A free hot breakfast buffet is included in room rates at the GB1 restaurant,
which is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Private dining rooms are
also on-site, and room service is available 24 hours a day. The Victorian Lounge offers light lunches and afternoon tea daily in
its enclosed terrace room facing the ocean; it also hosts musical performances on a varying
schedule in the evenings. There is meeting space for up to 900
people in ballroom-style areas, and free Wi-Fi throughout the property. The spa offers
a range of facials, massage, and body treatments, as well as a relaxation room,
steam room, and sauna. The fitness center includes various cardio and resistance
training machines as well as free weights. Guests booking a spa treatment of at
least 50 minutes can use the spa facilities for free; other guests must pay a
fee to use the facilities -- and that includes the fitness center.
