BRIGHTON’S hotel renaissance continues apace. Square, a nine-bedroom chic boutique, has just opened its doors, while other new kids on the block include the Elysian and Maison Mascara, a slick townhouse B&B.

“What makes Brighton different is that the boom has been driven by independent people who love the city,” says Adam Bates, head of tourism in Brighton. “Hoteliers are attracted because we have great year-round business. The city attracts people who are making a change in their life, who may be switching from media jobs, from a blue chip background, into running a small hotel or guesthouse. It means we have quirky, individual properties; real jewels.”

Drakes

DRAKES, which opened this week, is the brainchild of the hugely affable Neil Pugh, who has converted two beachfront townhouses into a 20-room hotel. Muted colours and blond wood furnishings are mixed with lush textiles and oriental art. The rooms are cleverly designed so that even the singles feel spacious, although there is a tendency to overclutter some of the bigger rooms with too many different pieces.

Drakes’ biggest coup is its restaurant, a second branch of the famed Gingerman restaurant — you have to book two months in advance at the Brighton original. The food (crab with avocado and rocket and monkfish curry in my case) was gorgeous and the staff were utterly charming.

Each guest is rung on the day of arrival for specific requests; if you want a steaming herbal bath, and a glass of champagne waiting for you in your room, you have only to ask. Drakes isn’t perfect — the bar is small and the bathrooms may not do it for everyone — but it’s a stylish addition to Brighton’s bespoke hotels.

Details: 01273 696934, www.drakesofbrighton.com. Doubles, room only, from £95.

Hotel du Vin

BRIGHTON is perfect for the refreshingly hedonistic Hotel du Vin chain; the cigar humidor, bar list longer than the phone directory and squishy leather sofas make it ideal for an indulgent night away.

The rooms are simple and chic and although they don’t have sea views, they avoid the constant road noise that roars along the seafront. The bar is the kind of place you could get lost in for days, working your way through the individually infused gins, and the restaurant is agreeably buzzy, filled with media types proclaiming their love of life by the sea.

Details: 01273 718588, www.hotelduvin.com. Doubles, room-only, from £125.

Hotel Pelirocco

PELIROCCO is not for the fainthearted. Its rooms are themed around music — Modrophenia has a scooter mirror and pop art styling — or kitsch celebrities; the Bowery Room, dedicated to the late performance artist Leigh Bowery, boasts a scarlet ceiling and polka-dot furnishings.

Others are just plain indulgent; the ultimate has to be the 02 Bubble Suite, with an 8ft circular bed, 42in plasma screen TV and a giant plunge bath. Cocktails are taken in the PlayStation bar.

Details: 01273 327055, www.hotelpelirocco.com. Doubles from £95, including breakfast.

Blanch House

ANOTHER hotel with individually styled rooms, Blanch House is as understated as Pelirocco is over-the-top. The Moroccan Room is all dark wood and rich fabrics, while Snowstorm is an icy fantasy with fake fur throws and silver cushions. All rooms have pocket-sprung beds, some have plasma screen TV and whirlpool baths, and there’s a menu of in-room spa treatments. The bar is sleek in brown and cream suede; perch on a scarlet Starck-esque bar stool sipping a Blimey — champagne, lime and crème de pêche.

Details: 01273 603504, www.blanchhouse.com. Doubles from £125, including breakfast.

Hotel Seattle

THE newly opened Seattle may be in the aesthetically challenged marina development, but inside, it combines strong design with a laid-back feel; the rattan and pine bedrooms look slick and the sea views are lovely.

A nice touch is the bento box breakfast, delivered to your room, which might be muesli with Greek yoghurt and chopped pistachios or blueberry pancakes with mascarpone. The restaurant specialises in fresh seafood.

Details: 01273 679799, www.aliashotels.com. Doubles from £95, including breakfast.

Square

SO COOL that it doesn’t advertise a name, Square, which opened last month, is marked simply by a lit-up square on its Regency exterior, Tim Teeman writes. The owner, Keith Allison, has spent £650,000 glamming up a formerly fusty family hotel. The downstairs bar features backlit white curtains and white vinyl settees.

Allison and his five staff are big on personal service: if you get the munchies at 3am, you will be sated. Rooms are thoughtfully furnished; sumptuous beds come with fur throws. Deep baths are double-ended. The furniture — dinky brown suede sofas, grand mirrors against walls — is from David Mellor and Elephant. Of the nine rooms, choose an odd number if you want a sea view.

Details: 01273 691777, www.squarebrighton.com. Rooms with a sea view, £190 a night; others £140.

Times recommends

• 'New York has lost its edge'
• The UK and Ireland's 25 best Christmas events
• Chalet Chef 2010: the winners