A hen do party house which crams up to 13 people into a single bedroom has been told its decor is a fire hazard.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service has issued a notice on the Seafront Party House in Oriental Place ordering it to make a series of changes.
These include putting a fire door on the top floor kitchenette or remove it entirely, put self-closing fire doors on all doorways off the staircase, clear combustible items including wardrobes for fire exits, and carry out a fire risk assessment.
It has also told Stay Brighton Ltd, the London-based company which runs the party house, to remove the artificial grass coverings on the wall and around the balustrades on the stairs, or to treat them with a flame-retardant treatment.
According to its listing on Booking.com, the six-storey house off Kings Road has six apartments to rent plus three bedrooms with a shared bathroom. Reviews suggest some of the apartments have shared bathrooms and kitchens.
The two-bedroom apartments all sleep between eight and 12 people, and the two one-bedroom apartments sleep 13 and eight people, mostly in bunk beds. The 13-person one-bedroom apartment costs £1,117 to book for two weekend nights in May.
The notice says: “The single staircase is potentially unsafe for escapees as fire can rapidly spread along the escape route because of the artificial grass coverings.”
It also says that because the hotel is unstaffed, it will need to include extra safety measure when drawing up a fire safety policy.
You can read the full enforcement notice here.
The notice is dated 19 March, and most of the steps it requires Stay Brighton Ltd to complete must be done by 17 April, except the enclosure of the staircase with fire doors, which must be done by 17 June.
If this isn’t done, the fire service can prosecute the company.
The hotel has a 3.2 out of 10 star rating on Booking.com. A handful of one-word recent reviews describe it as “good”, “exceptional”, “passable” or “pleasant”.
Bad reviews say rooms were double booked, there was a small of drugs, there were extra charges after booking, staff were unresponsive and rooms were dirty.
One person simply said: “I’d rather have shingles.”
Stay Brighton Ltd was approached for comment.
Close the premises until work is done. We do not want another Palmeira Avenue incident.
Close it down for good.
I’m surprised having 13 people staying in one bedroom is legal. Doesn’t this reach planning somehow?