New SteineHotel

Herve Guyat opened the New Steine Hotel in 2000, having moved from Biarritz to London to work in fashion for houses including Valentino before moving into hotel work. The building dates to around 1850, one of the Georgian townhouses set around New Steine's garden square a few minutes from the seafront in Kemptown. Guyat has furnished the public rooms with his own art collection and a French-inflected decor, including red pillars at the entrance and chandeliers through the ground floor, rather than a standard finish bought as a set. The hotel refurbishes in stages rather than closing for a full renovation, with work completed in 2007 and again more recently. Dining leans on locally sourced ingredients, and the hotel takes part in Brighton's arts calendar, including the Fringe. It remains independently owned rather than part of a hotel group.