Hilton Brighton West Pier, Brighton

...my initial thoughts on the Hilton Brighton West Pier if you happen to arrive by car, as we did. First impressions count quite significantly, after all, and however lavish the reception area may be - and it's not at all bad - you start off in a dingy underground car park and emerge into the hotel via a ghastly labyrinth painted in a stark yellow colour. It's not much of a welcome, to be honest, and the only consolation is that you're going somewhere ...
...quite understand why every single Hilton in the UK has to have exactly the same room-service menu. A bit of originality would go down a real treat! It was, however, good food, as I have noted, and we then popped out for a stroll along the seafront before returning to find, to my very pleasant surprise, that the hotel operates a turn-down service and our room was ready to serve its true purpose; eventually, a good night's sleep was had by all.
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Apart from one occasion, long ago, when a friend and I misjudged the bus-timings to the theme park at Alton Towers and ended up in Derby with nothing better to do than sit in the public gallery watching a rather tedious shoplifting trial, I can honestly say that I have never been to court. British courts, however, are fairly opulent affairs, so I believe, and once sentence is passed the last words the unfortunate convict hears are "Take him down!" And down he, or occasionally she, disappears into a place somewhat more austere and wholly less homely.

And that rather bizarre introduction leads me perfectly into my initial thoughts on the Hilton Brighton West Pier if you happen to arrive by car, as we did. First impressions count quite significantly, after all, and however lavish the reception area may be - and it's not at all bad - you start off in a dingy underground car park and emerge into the hotel via a ghastly labyrinth painted in a stark yellow colour. It's not much of a welcome, to be honest, and the only consolation is that you're going somewhere better - unlike the miserable convict to whom I recently alluded, who certainly isn't!

So that's that out of the way - and you may not have arrived by car, anyway; so let's forget about that particular gripe. Put it right out of your mind and picture yourself, instead, in reception, which is quite smart if slightly disparate; this is a hotel that just struck me as lacking a certain sense of direction. Check-in - by a uniformed, yet pony-tailed, clerk was friendly, in a slightly aloof fashion, and efficient and we were soon on our way up to the fourth floor. I'd requested a high floor, and this is, I think, a 16-storey building. The hotel, however, only appears to occupy the lower 5 floors, the rest being private flats. We did, however, at least get a sea view and a deluxe room. Temporarily not being a gold Hhonors VIP member (now thankfully rectified!), this was something, for once, for which I had to pay extra. Your heart bleeds for me, I know!

Our room was spacious and actually very comfortable. Decorated in "Hilton Beige", it had a very comfortable King size bed, was clean and had all the usual features that you'd expect - yes, before you ask, there was the obligatory, yet seldom-used trouser-press. Where, after all, would we be without trouser presses? There was a very comfortable seating area with colour TV and plenty of space for Josh (who's nearly 4 years old now, so I'm starting to avoid referring to him as "Baby Josh") to run around in and cause havoc and even a spot of mayhem. There was also a large - and I mean large - picture window with a good sea view, leading out onto a shared balcony. The bathroom was clean and there were, for a nice change, not one, but two bathrobes. Not fluffy ones, but bathrobes, nevertheless. We were actually very comfortable and we were happy, although I do believe that a lick of paint here and there might not have gone amiss; there was a certain air of shabbiness (if there's such a word) about the room which could so very easily have been rectified.

Josh may be approaching the grand old age of four, but his table manners still - and I'm sure he won't mind me saying this - leave quite a bit to be desired. As a result, we opted, as ever, for room service supper; it makes it easier for us and much less of a nightmare for fellow guests. And, as it happens, it was good. I just can't quite understand why every single Hilton in the UK has to have exactly the same room-service menu. A bit of originality would go down a real treat! It was, however, good food, as I have noted, and we then popped out for a stroll along the seafront before returning to find, to my very pleasant surprise, that the hotel operates a turn-down service and our room was ready to serve its true purpose; eventually, a good night's sleep was had by all.

It would, however, just not be right if I were not to report back on the bar - so down I went for a night cap. Well, it's an excellent excuse for a late night beer, anyway! Comfortable bar with decent prices, for a hotel, and although there was a fairly irritating group of Goodness-knows-what-but-probably-salespeople-on-a-conference (Sorry if that was you!), there was ample space for a bit of privacy and a reasonably quiet and relaxing drink. I enjoyed myself in the name of research before returning to the bosom of my family and an extremely good night's sleep.

All in all, this hotel has quite a lot going for it and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. If you want to swim, there's the beach right across the road, or an indoor pool at the Hilton Brighton Metropole just down the road, which shares its facilities with this hotel. It's certainly a little tired and in need of a little TLC - but I did say a "little" and it's just a shame that this has not been picked up on. Though I may have something of a critical eye, so too should the management and, with the right captain at the helm and a moderate budget to hand, this hotel could actually be something rather more special than it currently is. It's good, but it's got the potential to be even better!

Incidentally, I should point out that this is, several months along the road, in fact, no longer a Hilton. It's now the Holiday Inn Brighton Seafront. It appears that British hotels are changing hands as if there's no tomorrow.

 

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