West Sussex town 'bounces back' as seafront hotel wins national praise ahead of TV appearance

This comes just a year after the town was ranked among the country’s least popular coastal spots.

The Daily Mail visited The Navigator Hotel, on Marine Drive West, ahead of its appearance on The Hotel Inspector, which airs on Channel 5 on Thursday (March 5), at 9pm.

Under the headline ‘Bognor Bounces Back’, the national newspaper described the transformed seafront venue as spearheading change in a town that was ‘ignominiously dubbed the country’s worst seaside town’ by consumer group Which? last year.

Bognor was third from bottom in 2025, beaten out only by Welsh town Bangor and Mablethorpe in Lincolnshire for the dubious honour of dead last. With a destination score of just 47 per cent, brutal two star reviews for beaches, scenery and value for money, and just one star for the town’s grade-II listed pier.

The West Sussex town received just one star for its seafront, food and drink, tourist attractions, scenery, shopping, parking, peace and quiet and value for money, according to the Which? survey. Respondents said the town felt ‘dirty’, ‘run-down’ and ‘depressing’, that it had ‘forgotten it was next to the sea’, in a scathing reflection on the historic beach resort’s lack of facilities and attractions.

However, the Mail painted a very different picture during its recent stay.

Opening its feature, Hayley Minn wrote: “In a bright, modern hotel room with sweeping sea views and blazing sunshine pouring through the window, I might be in the south of Spain. Somewhere chic near Malaga perhaps, down the coast towards Portugal.”

The piece then reveals: “But I’m not. I’m in the UK – in Bognor Regis.”

The newspaper said it had come to see how the seaside spot could ‘possibly deserve that dreary title’.

It described The Navigator as a once ‘tired, dated and old-fashioned’ 12-room hotel now refreshed with ‘newly made-over sea-view suites’ and brighter interiors.

Owner Kathleen credited her appearance on The Hotel Inspector – fronted by hospitality expert Alex Polizzi – with helping to turn the business around.

The article added that the hotelier is now a self-declared ‘local ambassador’, defending the town from critics and encouraging visitors to see beyond outdated perceptions.

After the report was published, The Navigator Hotel announced on Facebook: “So the cat is definitely out of the bag now! We are thrilled to be featured in today's Daily Mail, with a lovely review from Hayley of not just The Navigator Hotel but Bognor in general.

“Additionally, we will feature on The Hotel Inspector on Thursday 5th March, Channel 5 at 9pm. We are looking at putting a TV into the bar for anyone who'd like to come and watch with us, we have not seen it so hopefully it showcases us, and Bognor at their best.

"Thanks to our incredible team who have supported us over the last 17 months since we bought the hotel. See you all soon.”

The national spotlight comes as many in the town hope Bognor’s reputation is beginning to shift.

For locals, business owners and visitors, things are a little more complicated. “Bognor is more than Bognor,” said Jason Passingham, owner of Heygates Bookshop – an award winning secondhand bookshop built into the town’s grade II-listed railway station.

"If you want to ask ‘do families come here and enjoy themselves?’ the answer is yes. Bognor Regis is a lovely traditional seaside town in and of itself, but we are also a great launching pad to explore other areas. You can use Bognor as your base, and from there you can go to Arundel, you can go to Worthing, or Chichester. There’s so much around this area – you’re just spoilt for choice.”

Another local, whose lived in Bognor for the last 20 years, had similar things to say. For her, Bognor’s bad rap gets in its own way. “We’ve been to other places, and I think Bognor has similar issues to a lot of seaside towns; we’re really no different.”

"We’ve quite a good community here. There’s a lot in Bognor for people who are vulnerable. And that’s a good thing. There’s My Sister’s House, there’s Grandad’s Front Room, there are all these places where people can turn for support, and I think that sense of community spirit is good.”

But it’s not all rave reviews. Two visitors returning to Bognor Regis after a gap of some thirty years said the seaside town wants for a sense of atmosphere and place suggesting that, despite its holiday-resort chops, there simply isn’t much to pull the punters in.

"My husband came here years ago as a child, so our visit is about coming back down memory lane,” they said. “But we wouldn’t feel the need to come back here again. Why would we, in a way? there just isn’t much special about it. It just doesn’t feel particularly attractive, and we’re really sorry to say it.

"We found the museum really interesting – that was lovely – but there’s nothing else here that we think we particularly want to come back for.”

Issuing a passionate defence of the town last year, a spokesperson for Arun District Council said Bognor’s reputation is ultimately a matter of perspective, writing: “Yes, like many seaside towns, Bognor faces its share of challenges. But what sets it apart is the strong sense of community and the genuine effort being made to improve and evolve. The town is full of people who care-who volunteer, support local events, and welcome visitors with open arms.”