The Fred Astaire/ Ginger Rogers film, the Gay Divorcee takes place in
a hotel in Brighton, England.  Brighton is now a rather run-down
depressing place and there is no hotel I know of which bears the
remotest resemblance - the only luxury hotel is an ugly Edwardian
monster.  Were there any grand hotels in Art Deco style in Brighton
and what happened to them?

Brighton run down?

It's now a City!

I haven't seen the movie and, as a resident of Hove, I cannot
immediately recall any hotel in the art-deco style.

I suspect that the movie was probably shot in Hollywood and that the
hotel was a bit of make believe.

Of course, I fully expect that some know-all is going to correct me.

Thanks - I await the know all!  I suspect you are right about Hollwood
but how could anyone imagine that there would be a hotel like that in
Brighton!

The Gay Divorcee was set in Brighton but not filmed there, according
to FamousLocations.com:

http://www.famouslocations.com/pages/locations/LocationsBrighton259England259.php

The location was known as Brightbourne, according to Musical Heaven:

http://musicalheaven.com/g/gay_divorce.shtml

Kind regards
blackbird

Thanks Blackbird!  This confirms my suspicion.  A pity.  How many
unlucky innocents have been foolish to turn up in Brighton hoping to
find some sophistication?  All you get is fluorescent hair dye and
body-piercing...  Not exactly Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  And as
for the hotels - it doesn't bear thinking about.

Filming locations were Santa Monica and Santa Barbara, according to:

http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0025164/locations

In the footsteps of fp-ga ...

I wonder if this Santa Monica hotel could be the place ...

http://www.georgianhotel.com/

Their blurb says that it's 'an Art Deco delight'.

So, how could anyone imagine that there'd be a hotel like that in Brighton?

Well, it's taken 70 years for anyone to query the selection.

No I'm afraid it was not the Georgian - which despite its advertising
does not look deco at all - sort of mock Victorian I'd say.

My guess is that the hotel is an entire mock up - but I wouldn't mind
staying there if it existed!