Goodbye Dudley... Hello Lansdowne Place Hotel And Spa!
Published 1st Sep 2005 by Alex Hammond

The past three years have seen a quiet revolution in the world of Brighton & Hove's hotels. The city has welcomed a new crop of high-end boutique hotels like Blanch House, Drakes and Maison Mascara onto the scene, which offer visitors a uniquely tailored experience in plush, stylish surroundings. One of Brighton & Hove's grandest old hotels is now projecting the boutique ethic on a large scale.

Once frequented by the great and the good of Brighton's artistic community, The Dudley (affectionately labelled 'the Cuddly Dudley' by most, 'the Deadly Dudley' by Noel Coward!) closed its grand old doors at the end of 2004 and has been undergoing millions of pounds worth of renovation throughout the spring and summer of 2005. The Dudley has reemerged as Lansdowne Place Hotel and Spa and promises to be one of Brighton & Hove's finest destinations.

It's not difficult to see where the money has gone. As you walk into the reception (at the seafront end of Lansdowne Place) you are greeted by subtle crushed velvet, smartly dressed staff and the pleasant aroma of freshly cut flowers. Throughout the hotel every detail has been carefully attended to and fits together beautifully, from the plasma screen TVs and en-suite facilities in each bedroom to Brighton's longest Chesterfield in the bar.


The bedrooms are finished to a high standard, from the reasonably sized singles (£85 per night) to the opulent Emperor suite which clocks in at a very reasonable £257 nightly rate. Many rooms have great sea views and all have super-comfy beds which have already been attracting attention.

Where Lansdowne Place differs from its peers is in its ability to cater for large scale corporate events of up to 80 people. There are spacious conference rooms featuring huge plasma screens capable of linking directly to a laptop. The conference rooms are bathed in natural light and magic, invisible waves allowing your laptop to connect to the internet. There's even a pretty garden, complete with private entrance, in which businessfolk can 'shift paradigms' over a cup of tea

The most impressive thing about the hotel's rebirth is the attention to detail; not just in design but in service and approach. The Lansdowne Grill restaurant features one of Brighton's top chefs, Michael Savva, who has also turned his Michelin-trained culinary eye to the conference menus, crafting a recipe sure to fuel 'blue sky thinking' amongst delegates. The hotel has logoed tandem bicycles available for guests to scoot around town or enjoy the delights of the seafront on, and there' s even a beach concierge service where the hotel will lay on special logoed deck chairs, while waiting on you hand and foot as you enjoy the pebbly delights of the Hove seafront or the rectangular pleasures of the lawns.

How's that for service!

Lansdowne Place Hotel and Spa, Lansdowne Place, Hove. Contact 01273 736 266 or visit www.lansdowneplace.co.uk.

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