Our Brighton holiday rental welcome

I stop sometimes, on my way into the city, and read the inscription carved into Brighton’s iconic gates. Standing proudly on the A23, these stone sentinels have whispered the same message to visitors for over a century:
“Hail guest, we ask not what thou art
If friend we greet thee hand and heart
If stranger no longer be
If foe our love shall conquer thee”
In these few lines lies the soul of Brighton – a promise of unconditional welcome that predates our modern conversations about inclusion by generations. It’s not just pretty poetry. It’s a philosophy cast in stone.
Brighton has always been a sanctuary. When the Prince Regent fled here in the 18th century, seeking refuge from his royal father’s disapproval, he began a tradition that continues today. For over 200 years, people have come to Brighton when they needed acceptance.
I’ve watched this phenomenon unfold daily since 2006, when I left the corporate world to join Brighton’s tourism industry. What draws people isn’t just our pebble beaches or the Royal Pavilion – it’s something less tangible but more powerful.
A Welcome That Transforms
The magic happens when visitors cross that threshold. Something in Brighton’s salty air dissolves the barriers people carry. I’ve seen it countless times – the visible relaxation in someone’s shoulders as they realize they can simply be themselves here.
This is why I founded MyHolidayLet. After witnessing how Brighton embraces everyone who arrives, I wanted to create spaces that continued that tradition of welcome – holiday homes that weren’t just places to stay but places to belong.
My parents understood this when they opened our first holiday rental property on Charles Street in 1971. That single property has grown into a portfolio ranging from cozy one-bedroom apartments perfect for couples to seven-bedroom houses for celebrating milestone moments with friends.
But the core philosophy remains unchanged: strangers become family here.
Beyond Accommodation
When you’re welcomed as family rather than as a customer, something shifts. The experience deepens. You don’t just visit a place – you become part of its story.
That’s the difference between staying in a Brighton holiday home versus anywhere else. Our city’s two-century tradition of acceptance infuses everything. The walls of our properties have witnessed over a million guests from around the world discovering what it means to be truly welcomed.
I’ve seen business travelers arrive tense and depart renewed. Couples find their connection strengthened after a weekend in one of our seafront apartments. Birthday celebrations in our larger houses become not just parties but profound moments of connection.
This is Brighton’s gift – turning “if stranger” into “no longer be.”
The Living Tradition
The promise of those gates isn’t a relic. It lives in how we prepare each property before guests arrive, in the local recommendations we share, in the care we take to ensure every visitor feels not just accommodated but embraced.
After welcoming hundreds of thousands of guests since 2006, I’ve learned that true hospitality isn’t about thread counts or amenities – though we excel at those too. It’s about creating spaces where people feel the same acceptance those gates have promised for centuries.
Brighton remains a haven for every heart seeking acceptance. In an increasingly divided world, there’s something profoundly moving about a city whose very entrance declares that love conquers all.
Whether you come as friend, stranger, or even foe (though those are rare in my experience), Brighton’s promise remains unchanged: you’ll be welcomed hand and heart.
And if you want to experience the fullness of Brighton’s legendary welcome, I invite you to find your perfect stay at MyHolidayLet.com, where we continue the tradition those gates began – turning holiday accommodations into homes, and visitors into family.
The gates have spoken this truth for centuries. We’re simply living it out, one guest at a time.

I love Brighton beach