Brighton gay bar and hotel sold for £5m

One of Brighton’s best-known gay-friendly venues has been sold for £5 million.

Legends, the seafront hotel, bar and club, has been bought by Brighton hoteliers Linh and Leo Nguyen from Tony Chapman.

Mr Chapman, 82, who grew up in Bevendean and who owned Legends for over 30 years, said that he hoped the new operators would preserve its status as an award-winning gay venue.

He said: “I think they are going to carry on with it as it is and keep the name.

“They’ve never owned a gay hotel but when it came on the market, they were quick off the mark.

“They’d be daft not to because there’s a nearly £3 million turnover. It’s a great business”

The deal was brokered by commercial property agency Flude, which has an office in New Road, Brighton.

The property firm said: “We are delighted to have been involved in the landmark sale of Legends, an iconic LGBTQ+ friendly hotel, bar and club in Brighton.

“Flude were instructed to market Legends on a discreet basis and our hotel agent, Will Thomas, agreed the terms of the sale on Monday.

“Legends Hotel is in a fantastic location on Brighton seafront and offers 40 different size hotel rooms and suites, some of which offer uninterrupted panoramic views of the sea.

“The iconic night club is a sophisticated, vibrant, LGBTQ+ friendly bar.

“The hotel was purchased by Linh and Leo Nguyen, who also own other hotels in the city.”

Mr Thomas said: “It was a pleasure to have been involved with this transaction which was brokered off market.

“This was always going to be a sensitive transaction and, following on from other recent sales, we received interest from a number of select parties.

“This is the latest in what has been Flude’s busiest year yet for hotel transactions … and is just another indication of how busy the sector remains despite the pandemic.”

The new owners, Linh and Leo Nguyen, own two hotels, The Charm and Sea Spray, in New Steine, Brighton, through their company Golden Lotus Brighton.