Brighton's Blanch House hotel re-opens under new ownership

The Grade II listed 12-bedroom hotel in Brighton's Kemp Town area, thought to be the site of Brighton's first ever boutique hotel, opened on Friday under the management of Jeremy Ornellas, a psychotherapist and the founder of HR development consultancy Occupational Counselling Consultants (OCC).

Ornellas bought the hotel in May with partner Kerry Turner, who was general manager with Historic Sussex Hotels for 13 years before becoming director of OCC.

The pair, who have named their new company Seventeen Hospitality, spent two months giving the Regency-style terrace property a make-over that was sympathetic to its heritage before opening last week.

Friendly boutique

Turner, who will continue to run OCC while Ornellas focuses on running the hotel with the his sister Sara, said they had set out to 'create an intimate and friendly boutique hotel.'

"We really want to focus on giving people a warm welcome," Ornellas told BigHospitality. "The hotel is very personalised, not at all corporate and at the moment it is the only property we are focusing on. If we had the right model we could take it elsewhere, but it's not in our plans right now. We want to get this one spot on first."

Unique rooms

Each room has been given a unique look - from the classic Perrier Jouet room to the exotically-painted Moroccan to the wonderland-themed Alice and are equipped with wi-fi, LED flat screen TVs with Freeview, a DVD player, tea and coffee facilities and luxury toiletries in the bathrooms. Rates range from £95 to £215 per night.

The hotel is also being offered for events and functions and is available for exclusive hire for £1,500 upwards.

"Blanch House’s rooms are about creating the experience the customer is looking for, whether they are staying for pleasure or business, or they’re exclusively hiring the whole hotel for a specific occasion or event," said Ornellas.