Sea Spray Brighton Luxury Hotel — Hotel in Great Britain

I booked this hotel over a spa chain (for similar money) as I like the independent town house hotels. However this hotel really lacks a boutique vibe and is in a really bad state. It could be so lovely with a little investment and care that is so clearly lacking. Communal areas are tired, carpets old and tatty and lights out all over the place.

The hotel states to have themed rooms.. but not sure this has been established through the whole hotel. Our room was a 'Venetian suite' but had nothing Venetian or Italian themed inside and in fact a random if not very British floral wall paper.

Fixings in the room very tired, broken mirror, light bulb out, smashed window as well as filthy outside of windows which spoilt the sea view. One peppermint teabag and one small bottle of water for two people... just felt really sloppy. Towels smelt of smoke and bathrooms fixings mouldy and marked. There was a throw in the wardrobe which was covered in dust and smelt very bed. This is so alarming during covid, after the specifically say that the room has been 'deep cleaned'!!

The breakfast had just been relaunched in the dining room but was buffet style which felt very unsafe during covid. Not making people hand sanitize on arrival. Long life pastries straight out of a packet, not fresh. Lack luster hot buffet which did not cater well for vegetarians dispite emailing the hotel this request. Just consisted of sausage bacon and eggs. Some nice continental cheeses were laid out but no bread or anything to put these on. Oats in a big bowl with no way to make porridge. Instant coffee served in tea pot!! In a city known for its coffee it was a total disappointment and wish we didn't book the breakfast.

When paying for a road parking permit they charge £11 for cash or £13 by card, however had absolutely no change or notes so make it really difficult to pay with cash. It is also against trading standards to charge more for something on card. The hotel in general is average but they should not claim it is luxury! It is so far from this! Feel like we have been robbed for such a sub standard stay and it really left a mark on our trip. I would say however that the reception staff were...

Booked 3 rooms for 4 nights each. My credit card was charged for all nights 3 days before our arrival. Although this is surprising and unusual, since most hotels charge your card only when you check out, I was OK with it. However, upon our arrival our circumstances had changed a bit and I asked if I could cancel the last night for 2 of the rooms and be refunded for those 2 nights (out of a total of 12 nights). Strictly speaking, I was canceling those 2 nights 3 days in advance, hence there should be no penalty for canceling. In any case, the answer was no. I was told that only if the hotel can re-sell those 2 nights then they would re-fund them, otherwise too bad. This was quite disappointing but perhaps equally important, the manner in which the manager explained the situation to me was rigid and unaccommodating, revealing a poor sense of customer service. On top of all of this, this hotel is advertised as a “boutique luxury hotel.” Well, the boutique part is somewhat accurate, but the luxury label is wildly misplaced. For example, (1) there was no decent coffee machine in sight, not in the room and not in the lobby, only water kettles, (2) shower water pressure was almost nonexistent, at least in the penthouse, (3) the default number of towels per room was apparently one. They gave us a second one when we asked for it, (4) bath tub was scratched and looked unappealing. All of these things are passable in a budget hotel but certainly not in one that claims to be a luxury hotel. Hence, all in all I do NOT recommend this hotel. For this price, you can do much better elsewhere...

Had a pleasant 2 night stay here, midweek, for £274/$370, which is actually quite reasonable for this fantastic location, lovely service and quality. The one painful bit was no official parking, but that is normal 90% of the hotels around Brighton Beach. PROS: -Friendly Service all around from the check in staff, cleaning, and breakfast staff. -For European standards, the "Family Room" we stayed in was spacious, clean, private patio, and a large bathroom. Albeit it was in the basement floor(which is normal for Europe.) -Comfortable Beds, large LCD TV, and even a small refrigerator(very rare! :)) -Walking distance to everything: Brighton Pier, Beach, Royal Pavilion, Shops, restaurants..i360 tower is a mile away, but a scenic walk. -Excellent breakfast buffet with lots of hot foods, even smoked salmon bagels! CONS: -No dedicating parking lot, it was a bit of nightmare spending 30 minutes driving around trying to find street parking, which we luckily found someone leaving just across the street. -Old creaky building, as most are in the area, so you'll hear lots of footsteps, especially in the Brighton room. -No Airconditioning, though probably not needed 90% of the time. -Breakfast is a the sister hotel The Charm, just 3-4 short buildings over, but could be annoying if its raining heavily.

Good stay overall, would likely stay here again if the price was still...