Metropole Brighton
History: Officially the hotel opened on 26 July 1890, with more than 700 rooms and seating 500 diners simultaneously. It was the largest and most prestigious hotel in town – as well as the nation’s largest hotel outside London. A special luxury train carried some 1,500 visitors from London Victoria to Brighton's King’s Road, which had been covered with a special red carpet of Hassocks sand – to meet the VIPs.
Today: It is currently the UK's largest residential conference centre, and has 340 bedrooms. Since 2000, it has been operated by Hilton Hotels & Resorts (previously it operated under the Stakis brand), and previously owned by The Royal Bank of Scotland, its freehold is now owned by the Topland Group.
1890: Following a private opening to the press and trade the previous week, Frederick Gordon Hotels Ltd, one of Britain’s first hotel chains opened their third Hotel Metropole and fifth hotel on July 26 1890.
The site was formerly a roller-skating rink, customs house, shops, drill hall, and 12 lodging houses on the King’s Road, in what was the West Laine Cliff Butts area.
Costing £57,000, built by Thomas Holloway, with more than 700 rooms and seating 500 diners simultaneously, the hotel was the largest and most prestigious in the town – as well as the nation’s largest hotel outside the capital.
The hotel’s opening day caused such excitement that special luxury trains had to be chartered from London Victoria for the 1,500 extra visitors.
King’s Road turned red as a special red carpet of Hassocks sand graced the road to meet the VIPs who would climb the entrance steps.
Rumours flew around the town, including that the hotel sported over 4,000 bedrooms, that the Turkish baths could accommodate a thousand bathers at the same time, and that there were enough electric lights inside to light every house in Brighton.
Despite predictions that hotels as magnificent as the Metropole would never be viable, or that existing hotels would be hit by its opening, the Brighton and Hove Gazette was correct in its prediction that there was “Plenty of room for as new and elegant (an) hotel as the Metropole.”
The hotel’s opening day was the beginning of a golden era for Brighton hotels that would last until the late 1930s.
340 Rooms