Holiday Inn Brighton - Seafront by IHG

Reviews

• CM

  Caro Miescher

  Aug 11, 2026
  2.0
  Disappointing overall for a 4-star hotel. The rooms are small and poorly soundproofed, the carpets are old, and the whole property feels dated and run-down. The AC did not work during our entire 5-night stay – and older Google reviews suggest this has been an issue for months. Breakfast had a decent variety, but the overall quality was mediocre. One hygiene/service issue was particularly disappointing: our toddler had a small accident on the bed, and we discovered that the mattress in our family room had no waterproof protective cover, so the liquid soaked directly into the mattress. We also noticed several existing stains on the mattress itself. For a family room in particular, we would expect proper mattress protection. We informed reception and asked for the bedding to be changed. When we returned from our day trip, this had not been done. After calling reception again, fresh bedding was eventually brought to the room, but simply left for us without any offer to change the bed. We therefore ended up changing it ourselves. On the positive side, the staff were generally friendly, and the play corner near the breakfast area/reception was very convenient and genuinely useful when travelling with two little ones. Overall, there were some positives, but the hotel did not meet the standard we would expect from a 4-star property.
• MD

  Magdalena D

  Aug 7, 2026
  2.0
  We( 2 adults) booked this stay after saving for a whole year, hoping for precious family time with our children (aged 14, 11 and 8). We chose this hotel mainly for the free parking, but sadly our experience fell far short of what we paid for. Our room allocation was very disappointing, our children were placed on the second floor while we parents were on the first floor, splitting our family up. The room itself was in a state of disrepair: exposed wiring on the TV cable, a broken TV, faulty room phone and one electrical socket that did not work at all. The air conditioning was non-functional. Even the shower had such weak water flow that we could not wash properly; I understand water conservation during the dry weather, but this was not acceptable. I repeatedly asked about exchanging our room and waited for a very long time at reception, but eventually had to give up. The male manager I spoke to never introduced himself, offered no reassurance, and provided absolutely no compensation for all these issues, a complete lack of empathy and understanding. The reception team on Monday and Tuesday were a huge letdown: zero stars for them, with very poor communication skills, unnecessarily long queues, and a rude, unhelpful attitude. That said, there were bright spots: Jack and Monika were absolute angels. They were incredibly kind, treated everyone with genuine respect and care, and went above and beyond to look after us. Jack always had a warm smile and made sure we were doing well. The breakfast buffet was also fabulous – delicious food, lovely music and a wonderful atmosphere in the dining area. Overall, we paid a large amount of money but received very poor standards in return. It is not worth the price we paid, and we are left feeling deeply disappointed by our stay.
• MM

  Moshe

  Aug 6, 2026
  1.0
  Terrible stay and extremely disappointing experience. The rooms were unbearably hot due to the lack of working air conditioning, making it very uncomfortable, especially for children. The cleanliness standards were unacceptable, with filthy rooms and bedding that raised serious concerns regarding hygiene, health, and safety. What was most disappointing was the way the duty manager, Laura, handled the situation. Instead of taking responsibility and properly addressing the issues, she appeared to blame others and avoid accountability for the hotel’s failures. I am seriously considering reporting this hotel to the relevant health and safety authorities so that the conditions can be properly inspected, as there appeared to be multiple issues that should not be ignored. A hotel should provide a clean, safe, and comfortable environment for guests, and unfortunately this stay fell far below that standard.
• CE

  Carley Esprit-Philip

  Aug 3, 2026
  4.0
  We recently stayed here and overall had a lovely stay. The hotel was clean, the room was comfortable, and all of the reception staff we spoke to were genuinely friendly, welcoming and made us feel at ease throughout our visit. The only reason I’m not leaving a full 5-star review is because of how our accessibility concern was handled. We had informed the hotel in advance that my cousin is a wheelchair user, but when we arrived we were allocated a standard room where she couldn’t access the bathroom. She had to use the accessible facilities two floors down instead. It wasn’t until we raised the issue that we were told there might be an accessible room available later if another guest didn’t need it. I understand that accessible rooms may need to be booked specifically, but I was disappointed that this wasn’t explained to us at check-in, despite the note on our booking. I also felt that the response when I raised the concern lacked understanding. Aside from that issue, we genuinely enjoyed our stay. The staff were kind and welcoming, and we appreciate everything else the hotel did to make us feel comfortable. I hope this feedback helps improve the experience for future guests with accessibility needs.
• LL

  Lynsey

  Aug 2, 2026
  1.0
  I urge all Holiday Inn customers to seek a partial chargeback using their credit or debit card if they experience anything similar to what I went through. This was the worst hotel experience of my life, and it started the day before my trip when they informed me there was no air conditioning, despite it being part of the contract when I booked last September. They then offered free cancellation, as if that was generous, on a booking I had already paid for in full. Expecting someone to find alternative accommodation with one day's notice, on a weekend with three major events in the city, was absolutely ridiculous. What they were really saying was: cancel your trip. I already had flights booked, concert tickets booked, and had been looking forward to this since last September. I barely slept two hours a night for three nights. The room was around thirty degrees. The hotel supplied a fan, which was so noisy it woke me up every hour or so, on top of the heat. They claimed the window could be opened, but it has restrictors fitted, so there was zero airflow, no breeze at all. I have severe asthma, and this experience made me extremely unwell. I will be visiting a doctor when I return home as my symptoms have been significantly aggravated. As compensation, the hotel offered a £14.95 credit toward breakfast, which I declined. I will be pursuing this through a partial chargeback and would encourage anyone in a similar position to do the same.