Morgan Fabulous chats with Reece Roberts the manager of Legends on Brighton seafront.
Reece has been general manager of Legends for almost 10 years and is kept extremely busy running the hotel, bar and nightclub. He is full of praise for his team of friendly staff who he says are always there to support him and make him smile.
Born in Anglesey, North Wales, he had a happy upbringing and his parents were fully supportive when he came out.
One of his closest friends was also gay, but there wasn’t anywhere for them to socialise and be fully accepted in Anglesey, so at the age of 17 Reece moved to Manchester, where the gay scene was thriving. After a few years on the Manchester scene and having gained managerial experience with Johnson Cleaner he managed to get a transfer within the company to the South Coast and Brighton and when his friend, Collin Day, who was manager at Revenge asked him if he fancied a bar job at the club, he accepted.
Like many people who worked on the gay scene at that time, Reece felt his colleagues were more like family than workmates.
Tony Chapman owned Revenge at the time and Reece says was a great person to work for. Tony looked after his staff well, so when he bought Legends Hotel, Reece was happy to take the manager’s job there.
For many, Legends is the hub of the gay community in Brighton. I am a frequent visitor there as I like the clientele it attracts, and there’s always a warm friendly atmosphere.
I had never really considered what the hotel above is like, and I know it sounds like I’m writing a yelp review but I was very pleasantly surprised at the very high standards of rooms I saw, when I got a guided tour. With constant refurbishment and additions to the furniture and decor, the rooms are fresh, sophisticated and modern. Most importantly the staff are really friendly and the rates extremely reasonable for a hotel on Brighton seafront. If you have friends or relatives visiting for the weekend, I highly recommend you push them in the direction of the hotel.
The upstairs bar is currently undergoing an £80,000 refurbishment which includes new glass doors, a new floor, new tables, new wall coverings and reupholstered furniture. I got a sneak preview of some of the designs, and it’s going to look fab ul ous! The bar and club will remain open, while the refurbishment is being completed.
Reece lives with Justin, his partner of 16 years and their cat Dinky in Peacehaven and in his spare time loves cooking, socialising and keeping fit.
For more information about Legends, click here:
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