Belgrave Hotel

Well, this hotel had been suggested to me by my sister who had stayed there for a night with her boyfriend recently. They had not pre-booked, they walked in off the street and got a very large sea-view room at the front of the hotel for £80 which included breakfast. She was very complimentary, but I was cautious as she does not stay in hotels as regularly as I do. he waMe and my girlfriend had decided to get out of London for a weekend to celebrate our anniversary and went on my sister's recommendation. I booked through expedia and it cost me £93, so I naturally expected atleast the same experience as my sister if not better. Things did not get off to a good start. It was very wet and windy on the seafront and we wanted to check-in an hour early. The staff were very abrupt in informing us that there was absolutely no check-in before 2pm. They let us leave our bags, but I was not particularly at-ease as they were just to be left out in the lobby. When we returned at 10 minutes to 2 we were told again that there was no check-in until 2. We therefore had to sit in reception for ten minutes while the receptionist waited until it was 2pm?!!! The room itself was big with a high ceiling, it was clean, spacious and warm. What annoyed me about it was the annoying lack of attention to detail, little things that could have been fixed quickly and easily; there was a small hole in the wall which had been filled, but not painted over; the wallpaper was peeling away at one point; the wood on the side of the bath needed painting. What other reviewers have said about the reception on the TV is true, it is very poor. You can re-tune the TV to accept digital (why they are not set to the digital input I do not know), but that's not great. This is quite unbelievable considering they have obviously spent a great deal on the flat screen LCD TVs?! My girlfriend did complain of the room being too warm, although I thought it was ok. The ceiling was very thin and you could hear people walking around above, as they did for most of the night! I must say that I had a comfortable stay and pretty good night's sleep - the poor TV reception was the most annoying aspect of the stay for me. The following morning we went to breakfast before checking out and we were (again abruptly) informed by the member of staff attending the dinning area that we needed a 'breakfast voucher'. I went to reception and was (again abruptly) told that, as I booked through expedia, breakfast was NOT included. At this point I just walked out as I felt that I really had not received good value for money at all. I would value my stay at about £70, if it had included breakfast, which it absolutely should have done. I will not be returning to this hotel due to the poor attention to detail, essentially rude staff and, mainly, the bad value for money. I suppose if you can get a good deal and you will not be spending much time in the actual hotel (!), then I'd say why not. Otherwise look elsewhere, the Hotel du Vin looked nice...

Reception is clean and trendy and the bedrooms have obviously been done up recently in a modern and stylish manner. The beds are very comfortable and the rooms are of a decent size with adequate clean bathrooms. The digital flat screen TV on the wall was the only let down here, reception was so poor that it was impossible to watch (no sound and digitally breaking up). The staff were friendly and helpful but obviously lacked training or supervision, it took them 20 minutes to find our booking and check us in with a similar palaver the next morning. But these complaints are only minor and at 50 or 60 quid a night, it's a great hotel, right in the heart of Brighton.

What a difference a year can make! We last stayed at the Belgrave in 2005 and the hotel has had quite a makeover since then. Reception is now much brighter and more welcoming - and yes, there are even beautiful orchids on the front desk. In the bar the old headache inducing swirly carpet has thankfully gone. New wooden floors make it less stuffy, while the bar itself has been revamped with a good selection of beers/spirits, plus there's relaxing new chairs, newspapers and big screen entertainment to boot. The improvements continue upstairs - our charming Regency room had all the latest creature comforts, with a new flat screen TV and super-comfy matress. Even more of a distraction was the amazing sea views and street theatre outside on the promade. You couldn't ask to be in a better spot and if you haven't been to the Belgrave in a while it's definitely worth checking out this Brighton beauty's new lease of life.

took my girlfriend here for her birthday. Perfect locale, staff were great, drinks/food lovely and the room was fab. Bed was super comfy, seaviews great and all in all, a perfect spot for a day away from it all! Simon, London.

Warm welcome and fantastic seaviews at this very friendly hotel, Great location for all attractions and esp shopping. would really recommend this hotel and Dave the superstar barman.

I am an American living in London for the last 4 years and had never been to Brighton so planned a trip for myself and my husband to get away for a nice romantic weekend. I arrived in Brighton on a Friday night with no set plans of restaurants or things to do so it was fantastic not only to arrive at the Belgrave to be greeted in a cheerful way( which is alot different from the normal British reserve!) Nothing was a problem, lots of great recommendations of restaurants, fun things and places to see during the daytime that we didnt actually have enough time to do it all. The hotel itself is true to what it says it offers ie: great views, perfect location, comfortable beds/clean rooms and a bar with a huge television and great coffee/hot chocolate when it turned blustery outside! We booked a superior double and had a view of nothing but the sea (£140 per night) The hotel is in the process of change as I understood from barstaff that it was taken over and the new owners have been giving it a total overhaul in the several last months to put it on themap of one of the great hotel in Brighton. We had a great stay, so a wall being painted on the morning we were leaving was bearable and encouraging to know that the next time we return it will be even better....!

Dont believe what you read - this one is a winner - fantastic location and great staff - i have stayed in lots of hotels in brighton and this is one of the best.

I had booked a year ahead for the Lib Dem conference and having read some Trip Advisor reviews was getting concerned. However, reality brought relief. Room was large and clean with plenty of wardrobe space. Check in was efficient although it was offputting to put up a lot of money before Id seen the room. At the end of my stay staff were helpful, storing my case and organising a taxi. Breakfast could be improved. Its a bit fend for yourself. There was no decaff coffee after I used it on the first day (you have to make your own) and so I had to take sachets from the room. When I checked out the lift was not working - luckily I found another guest to get my case down from the fourth floor. The stair carpet could do with replacement as it is worn. I understand that the hotel has recently been taken over. I wanted to try and get a rate for the same period next year but it was not not available. The hotel is in an ideal location for the conference centre- an important point for single women who may be coming back late from party conference fringe meetings.