Local businessmen James Randall and Lucky Gohler intend 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.
Built in 1830, the building originally comprised three separate houses, which were combined and run as a private hotel by 1861. An additional floor was added in 1897 and from 1911 the building was known as the Palace Pier Hotel until the mid-1980s, when it was re-fitted and re-named the Princes Hotel. In 2015 it reopened as Hostel Point, offering cheap accommodation to backpackers, but has since closed and fallen into disrepair.
Randall and Gohler say they aim to restore the derelict building to its former glory as a seafront hotel with views of Brighton’s Palace Pier and the beach. As part of the renovation, they plan to add a rooftop extension for a terrace bar and restaurant, which would be open to the public. The proposed fifth floor extension would be set back from the building’s façade, with seating areas for visitors along the front and sides of the building, providing panoramic sea views.
Plans for The Louche have been drawn up by London architect Dexter Moren Associates.
“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,” says Randall.
“This corner of Brighton is ripe for respectful redevelopment, as part of a broader regeneration of the seafront. It needs major investment as the site has been neglected. If a successful outcome cannot be reached there is a danger that this site will remain derelict for at least another decade and negatively impact the building next door – Pier Nine Casino.
“Lucky and I both grew up near Brighton in Lancing, so we know the city well and we want to create something here we can be proud of.”
Lucky said: “Currently there are hardly any rooftop bars and surprisingly, no Michelin-star restaurants in Brighton yet.
“Our city attracts millions of visitors every year, yet we know there’s a shortage of accommodation and an appetite for more high-end options.
“The Louche would help fill this gap, as well as providing a vibrant new venue for local people to enjoy and local jobs.”
Darren Johnson, conference and business development manager at VisitBrighton says: “The Tourism & Leisure Department would be supportive of any works that would bring the building back into use and to renovate the exteriors in an area which acts as a city gateway to our business and leisure visitors.”
Brighton’s seafront has received investment and undergone renovation and recent years. In March it received a further boost with the opening of Little Beach House Brighton, a new members club, restaurant and bar from Soho House which had been seven-and-a-half years in the making.