Lansdowne Place Hotel

Slightly worn once plush interior to reception, Double room was ok, great big bed which was very comfortable. Thin duvet cover and ugly divan base on show, didn’t feel luxurious a room. The marble bathroom had minimal toiletries. Tv was set at a funny angle next to the wardrobe and curtains. Lightbulbs were out here and there throughout the hotel and our room. Breakfast was plentiful but very average quality buffet style food.
Not terrible, just okay overall.
Could do with some money and love put into this hotel!

I’d never, ever go back to this place. It’s a shame, as I had a really nice spa treatement — and actually the food isn’t bad. But the whole place is grubby and grimy, and hasn’t had a ‘refurb’ as it claims, just some new furniture and a bit of wallpaper in parts.
From the start, we were given a dodgy room. Dirty and with a horrendous humming coming from the air conditioning unit outside. We were in a bit of a rush to get to our treatments, so went down, chilled out and relaxed. My detox scrub was literally amazing, and my manicure so-​so. My Mum’s back massage on the other hand was far too short for how much she paid and the pedicure was a bit rubbish.
Anyway! Following that, we tried to explain the noise/​dirt in our room to the receptionist (who quite frankly, couldn’t have cared less). However, as we were shown the third room in the exact same place — just on a different floor (so with the same problem) — we realised it hadn’t quite sunk in. We were then shown another room at the front of the hotel, which was equally noisy and even more cramped. All while lugging our suitcases up and down. Not cool.
In the end, after I’d rung around all of the hotels in Brighton to see if we could stay somewhere else, the manager appeared. I won’t say she wasn’t helpful, but she wasn’t exactly apologetic. She did however, upgrade us and had our suitcases brought up.
We’d gone to Brighton to chill out, so spent the rest of the holiday out and about. I decided to stick it out rather than cause a fuss, but there’s nothing that would make me go back.
Watch out for the car parking charge, and don’t expect good service or anything lavish. If you want somewhere nice, head to Hotel du Vin!

I have experienced the Lansdowne Place hotel on more than one occasion. The whole hotel has apparently undergone a multi-​million pound refurbishment and as far as I could tell, they spent the lot on soft furnishings and curtains. They have velvet covered benches in the lobby, velvet curtains on the walls in the bar, velvet curtains in the rooms and copious cushions on each bed. There, I am afraid, the opulence ends.
The bar is OK, bearing typical hotel prices and service. While they do make a decent mojito, there are places in London producing a better one for less. The house red wine is decent and drinkable and so no complaints there, with the house white a drinkable young fruity variety. The bar is somewhat funky but changeable from buzzing to dead depending on the number of residents.
The rooms vary in size and therefore quality. The bathrooms are all marble which, while ideal in summer, is very cold in winter. The amenities are the bare minimum and I have been in many cheaper hotels with more. When one fellow guest needed toothpaste, this four-​star hotel informed them that the Tesco was still open. Towels are left on a cold towel rail which seems to have no way to be switched on and the fat screen television is permanently pointed at the floor. The coffee and tea and hot chocolate is OK but the lack of heating required an additional heater which was thankfully left in the room.
I would suggest that as a weekend break, its close proximity to the sea (a few steps) and the surface opulence would be a lovely luxury. For an extended stay or for work, I would recommend somewhere a bit more business-​focused.

I think it was my fault entirely by going to Brighton and staying at this highly reputable hotel the first weekend of January. DEAD. The place was dead. And it was clear that the staff were still mentally on holiday.
My boyfriend surprised me by booking an overnight trip to Brighton for my birthday. A short train journey later and we had arrived at the seaside! The hotel looks wonderful, both inside and out. Very elegant and classic-​looking, yet with a modern touch. We arrived around noon and tried to check in, even though we knew that normal check-​in time is 2pm. Naturally, our room wasn’t ready yet. So we decided to hold our bags behind the front desk and explore freezing cold Brighton for a couple of hours.
Had a nice lunch, strolled along the beach, and made it back to Lansdowne Place for 2pm. Room still not ready. We were told to wait a few minutes as they might have just finished. We went to the spa to book massages. We wanted side-​by-​side ones, but they said they couldn’t do that on such short notice, so we booked two massages back to back for the following morning. 15 minutes later: no, room still not ready.
We headed back out into the icy winds once again. Strolled all the way down to the pier and the lanes. Starting to get a little cranky and tired. On our way back to the hotel for the 3^rd time, we watched the sun set. Stunning, but I was ready to plop down and relax in the room for 5 minutes!
Finally, 4pm and we were given a key. We were also told that the restaurant had a few tables left for dinner that night and that we should make a reservation, which we did (since the thought of going back outside any more was not appealing in the least). Got up to our room on the 4^th floor, and it was a complete mess. It hadn’t been cleaned at all.
Back downstairs to complain. I hate complaining. After a short wait, the lady at the front desk brought two keys with her and accompanied us to the lift. She was profusely apologising and said we could pick which room we’d like out of the two. The first one she showed us was fine so that’s where we stayed. A wonderful room; very spacious, HUGE windows, king bed which was really comfy. Difficult to see the TV when it’s right next to the wardrobe, but we weren’t really going to watch TV on our mini holiday anyway.
This is really long, isn’t it? Sorry
Dinner. There was ONE OTHER TABLE of people at the restaurant! The whole time! Food was delicious actually, but we were expecting a crowd of people the way the receptionist spoke about it earlier. A reasonable and satisfying meal, nonetheless.
Before going to sleep, I rang reception and asked for an 8:15 wake-​up call (since there is no alarm clock in the room).
The next morning. The curtains are very heavy so you have absolutely no idea when it’s daylight! I went over to my phone and saw that the time was 9:15 AM. No wakeup call! Went downstairs for breakfast (at least it was free) and had a mediocre buffet-​style meal. Then headed straight for the spa. I was looking forward to a relaxing massage.
Arrived at the spa and were told to sit and wait. 20 minutes later, spa receptionist tells us our masseuse has called in sick. Just our luck this weekend, eh? We canceled our massages and spent a couple of hours lounging in the «relaxation room» and the sauna. At least that was free.
What I took away from my experience at Lansdowne Place was a gratitude for my own sense of humour. Without that, I wouldn’t have been too much of a happy camper. I can see how it would be a spectacular place to stay (and eat and relax) in the summer. But the winter season service could use some work.

Sorrrrrrrryyyyyyyy. Actually, rewind a few seconds. I think it was my fault entirely by going to Brighton and staying at this highly reputable hotel the first weekend of January. DEAD. The place was dead. And it was clear that the staff were still mentally on holiday.
My boyfriend surprised me by booking an overnight trip to Brighton for my birthday. A short train journey later and we had arrived at the seaside! The hotel looks wonderful, both inside and out. Very elegant and classic-​looking, yet with a modern touch. We arrived around noon and tried to check in, even though we knew that normal check-​in time is 2pm. Naturally, our room wasn’t ready yet. So we decided to hold our bags behind the front desk and explore freezing cold Brighton for a couple of hours.
Had a nice lunch, strolled along the beach, and made it back to Lansdowne Place for 2pm. Room still not ready. We were told to wait a few minutes as they might have just finished. We went to the spa to book massages. We wanted side-​by-​side ones, but they said they couldn’t do that on such short notice, so we booked two massages back to back for the following morning. 15 minutes later: no, room still not ready.
We headed back out into the icy winds once again. Strolled all the way down to the pier and the lanes. Starting to get a little cranky and tired. On our way back to the hotel for the 3^rd time, we watched the sun set. Stunning, but I was ready to plop down and relax in the room for 5 minutes!
Finally, 4pm and we were given a key. We were also told that the restaurant had a few tables left for dinner that night and that we should make a reservation, which we did (since the thought of going back outside any more was not appealing in the least). Got up to our room on the 4^th floor, and it was a complete mess. It hadn’t been cleaned at all.
Back downstairs to complain. I hate complaining. After a short wait, the lady at the front desk brought two keys with her and accompanied us to the lift. She was profusely apologising and said we could pick which room we’d like out of the two. The first one she showed us was fine so that’s where we stayed. A wonderful room; very spacious, HUGE windows, king bed which was really comfy. Difficult to see the TV when it’s right next to the wardrobe, but we weren’t really going to watch TV on our mini holiday anyway.
This is really long, isn’t it? Sorry
Dinner. There was ONE OTHER TABLE of people at the restaurant! The whole time! Food was delicious actually, but we were expecting a crowd of people the way the receptionist spoke about it earlier. A reasonable and satisfying meal, nonetheless.
Before going to sleep, I rang reception and asked for an 8:15 wake-​up call (since there is no alarm clock in the room).
The next morning. The curtains are very heavy so you have absolutely no idea when it’s daylight! I went over to my phone and saw that the time was 9:15 AM. No wakeup call! Went downstairs for breakfast (at least it was free) and had a mediocre buffet-​style meal. Then headed straight for the spa. I was looking forward to a relaxing massage.
Arrived at the spa and were told to sit and wait. 20 minutes later, spa receptionist tells us our masseuse has called in sick. Just our luck this weekend, eh? We canceled our massages and spent a couple of hours lounging in the relaxation room and the sauna. At least that was free.
What I took away from my experience at Lansdowne Place was a gratitude for my own sense of humour. Without that, I wouldn’t have been too much of a happy camper. I can see how it would be a spectacular place to stay (and eat and relax) in the summer. But the winter season service could use some work.

Marketed heavily as Brighton’s ‘Premier Boutique Hotel’, this place is just luxury on tap. After a massive refurb a few years ago, the rooms on offer are plush, elegant and contem