ART B&B
Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor
There is no shortage of seafront hotels in Blackpool and each one comes with its own particular charms. But it’s fair to say that none of them are quite like ART B&B, an independent boutique venture that puts artists and the community at the heart of everything they do.
Situated in a classic Victorian seafront hotel, beautifully and completely renovated by 30 contemporary artists, ART B&B allows you to support the arts while you sleep. It’s worth heading over to the booking page to peruse the wild range of memorably luxurious rooms for yourself, but you can certainly expect a stay to remember.
You may choose the Professor Tim Eetchell-designed “Now You See it… Suite” which comes with neon sculpture, HD projector and separate living quarters with a personal cocktail bar. Or perhaps you’d be more at home in Creative Director Dr. Marisa Carnesky’s showgirl and show-woman inspired room, featuring a bank of telephones which relate stories of Blackpool’s entertainment palaces.
Options range from the swanky suites, to twin, family and even dormitory rooms, while guests can look forward to stunning sea views, sunsets and comfortable beds included as standard.
There’s also a brilliant café downstairs — a new addition in 2024. Open to the public (not just guests), you can pick up artisan coffee, light bites and baked goods, including a number of vegan options, all priced incredibly well. Take the vegan snickers bake – just £2!
The café overlooks a more scenic stretch of the promenade, and is the perfect spot to while away a few quiet hours before diving into the dizzy heights and neon lights of Blackpool as its more typically known.
Indeed, you don’t have to be staying to enjoy ART B&B. The hotel started life as a project for arts and community organisation LeftCoast. Today LeftCoast are residents who help provide a programme of events, talks, workshops and performances open to anybody curious to explore arts and culture.
ART B&B itself is a registered Community Interest Company which reinvests its profits into arts and community projects. Helped along by a voluntary board of directors — they stress that your hosts and housekeepers are still paid employees — the hotel also works with local suppliers as much as possible in order to give you the full Blackpool experience.
