Bognor Regis bounces back as seafront hotel wins national praise ahead of TV appearance
bognor regis is in the spotlight after The Navigator Hotel on the seafront was praised in a national feature and prepares to appear on The Hotel Inspector, airing Thursday March 5 at 9pm ET. The small, 12-room venue has been refurbished by owner Kathleen Lamb and is being held up by some as evidence the town can recover from a low ranking in a recent consumer survey. Local business owners and the hotel team say the attention could mark the start of a wider turnaround for the resort.
Bognor Regis hotel lauded before TV slot
The Navigator Hotel has been described in the feature as transformed from ‘‘tired, dated and old-fashioned’’ into a bright, modern seafront property with newly made-over sea-view suites and refreshed interiors. The episode, presented by Alex Polizzi on The Hotel Inspector, frames the venue as central to a narrative that counters last year’s consumer-group snapshot that placed the town near the bottom of coastal rankings; that survey gave the town a destination score of 47 percent and low marks across seafront, food and drink, attractions and value for money, per the consumer group Which?.
Owner Kathleen Lamb credited expert input and the hard graft of her small team with the turnaround. The hotel’s public update noted the owners have worked on the business for 17 months since purchase and celebrated the national attention while inviting the public to share the screening. The episode describes operational challenges the business faced, and the refit focused first on the restaurant before progressing to the seaview rooms.
Immediate reactions
“I called on Alex because I was getting a little bit out of my depth, ” said Kathleen Lamb, owner, The Navigator Hotel, describing why she sought the show’s help. Lamb said the changes included opening jammed windows, repainting and refreshing carpets and fittings to let light and sea views dominate the rooms.
“Bognor is more than Bognor, ” said Jason Passingham, owner, Heygates Bookshop, a secondhand shop integrated into the town’s listed railway station, expressing local desire for a broader reappraisal of the town as attention turns to the seafront hotel. The Navigator also posted: “So the cat is definitely out of the bag now! We are thrilled to be featured… ” and invited guests to watch the airing with the team.
Quick context and what’s next
The spotlight comes after last year’s consumer-group ranking that placed the town near the bottom for beaches, scenery and value. For some residents and business owners, the hotel’s makeover is tangible progress; for others, the challenge remains to translate a single success into sustained uplift across the town.
Viewers will see the hotel’s transformation when the episode airs Thursday March 5 at 9pm ET; the owner and local businesses say they will be monitoring visitor reaction and local bookings closely after the broadcast. Expect follow-up reporting on any changes to footfall, bookings and townwide responses in the days after the broadcast as stakeholders gauge whether this exposure helps reshape wider perceptions of bognor regis.
