New luxury hotel plans for Brighton seafront building

Plans have been put forward to transform an empty seafront building into a luxury hotel.

Local businessmen James Randall and Lucky Gohler want to refurbish the empty Hostel Point building on the corner of Grand Junction Road and Pool Valley and turn it into a 40-bedroom hotel called The Louche.

James Randall said: “Our vision for The Louche is to bring this beautiful seafront building back into use and restore its former purpose as a hotel, attracting more high-spend visitors to the city and providing a boost for local businesses, as well as creating new jobs.”

Built in 1830, 10 – 12 Grand Junction Road originally comprised of three separate houses, which were combined and run as a private hotel by 1861. An additional floor was added to number 11 by 1897, and from 1911 the building was known as the Palace Pier Hotel until the mid-1980s, when it was re-fitted and renamed the Princes Hotel. In 2015 it reopened as Hostel Point, offering cheap accommodation to backpackers.

A planning application is currently being considered by Brighton and Hove City Council.

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