Royal Hotel Celebrates 150 years

Hundreds of wonderful new build hotels are springing up all over the world almost on a daily basis. But, if it’s a little touch of history you are looking for then one hotel on the south coast of England is celebrating its 150th birthday this year.

The Best Western Royal Beach Hotel on the seafront at Southsea, Portsmouth, first opened its doors on May 1st 1866 and is still as popular as ever.

To help commemorate the 150th anniversary, a day of celebrations has been planned for Saturday August 20th. An afternoon tea dance followed by a gala ‘musical time tunnel’ dinner dance will round off a day of celebrations.

During it’s time the Royal Beach has served as a makeshift hospital, a troop embarkation point, a temporary home to Portsmouth City Council, a WWII ‘look out’ post, in addition to welcoming thousands of guests from all over the globe.

Notable guests have come from a diversity of genres; Hollywood actors including Laurel & Hardy, The Russian Ballet, Arthur Askey, Frankie Vaughan and The Beatles. The Beatles indeed stayed on several occasions most famously on November 12th 1963 when Paul was unable to perform due to illness and the band laid low for a couple of days.

Royalty has also graced its doors. On February 6th 1941, King George VI and Elizabeth attended a luncheon following an inspection of the Civil Defense Wardens and Portsmouth Police at South Parade Pier. Over 80 guests attended the lunch as well as hundreds of well-wishers outside the hotel.

A brief history of the Royal beach to commemorate the occasion has also been written and is now available from the hotel.

The Best Western Royal Beach Hotel standing proud on Southsea’s seafront for 150 years, always smiling, always welcoming….nothing has changed really.

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For more information please contact:

Tony Wimbush
Sales, Marketing & Entertainment Director - Wyborn Hotels Ltd
E: [email protected]
T: 07734 052179

Sophie Proffitt
Best Western GB PR Manager
E: [email protected]
T: 01904 695493

Editors’ notes:

Best Western Royal Beach Hotel on the promenade at Southsea, Portsmouth, is the perfect venue for both business and pleasure. Outside its doors guests can enjoy magnificent views over the Solent. Quintessentially the hotel is Victorian England, draped in history and splendour, a hotel where you can relax and also experience all the traditional hospitality associated with a very proud hotel.

Best Western Great Britain is the largest collection of independently owned and family run hotels in Great Britain. Our 260+ properties have over 42,000 years of history between them and hundreds of stories to share too. From the oldest purpose built hotel in Europe, the hotel with the best room-with-a-view in the world and the hotel which hosted the honeymoon of Hollywood royalty, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor.

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