History

Built-in 1925, this was the first hotel at Carlyon Bay and was originally called the St Austell Bay Hotel. The hotel quickly became a fashionable choice with movie stars and celebrities and was frequented by a famous Royal visitor, Edward, Prince of Wales, and his future wife, Mrs Wallis Simpson.

The building suffered a devastating fire in 1931. Locals who rushed to the scene to help were met with the sight of furniture being frantically thrown from the windows to save it from the flames.

During the war years, two boys’ schools from Canterbury, The Kings’ School and St Edmund’s, were evacuated to the hotel to escape the Blitz. In March 1944, General Montgomery came to the hotel to inspect the schools’ cadet force.

Sir Winston Churchill stayed at the hotel with his wife Clementine in 1953. We have named one of our function rooms in his honour 'Churchill Suit' with pictures of him adorning the walls. 

In 1982, the Carlyon Bay Hotel became part of the Brend Collection and since then, the Brend family have continually invested in improving the facilities at both the hotel and at its fine championship golf course.

Major investments were made to the spa and gym facilities including the indoor and outdoor pool areas, enhancing the sense of luxury and tranquillity.

In 2014 our Bay View Restaurant was refurbished and in 2015 was awarded an AA Rosette of culinary excellence, an award which the team are immensely proud of.

Brend Collection were delighted to receive the ‘Hotel Group of the Year 2015-2016’, a huge honour for the whole of Brend Collection who have been a leader in West Country hospitality for over 50 years.

The expansion of the clubhouse doubled the size of the Golf Club allowing an additional dining option for guests.

Winner of the 2019 Best for Families, helped shine a spotlight on The Carlyon being suitable for all ages which as a family-run business was a core value of ours and something we're extremely proud of.

Back-to-back Gold winners of both SW Tourism & Cornwall Tourism 2020/21.

The transformation of the Terrace Lounge and Bar areas allowed us to freshen up our look whilst in keeping with our Art Deco decor. Incorporating the extension of our Terrace enhancing views across St Austell Bay as well as the refurbishment of two bars at either end of our lounge allows a modern essence.

G7 happens takes place in June awarding us the opportunity to host Marine 1 alongside the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge. G7 takes place throughout Cornwall, giving us the opportunity to host. This led to the Royal train going through the golf course with 3 generations of the Royal Family present. 

In early 2022 our brasserie had a revamp and was inspired by a whole new concept and so Taste of Cornwall was born.

Introducing the Brend Collection, formally Brend Hotels
In 2023, a new chapter for the Brend Group emerged. Working hard behind the scenes on a fresh new brand appearance that came alongside a new group website, followed by new websites across the portfolio of 11 hotels across Devon and Cornwall. These changes marked an important evolution of our brand showcasing that we have evolved over the years from a hotelier - to now encompassing a collection of hotels, restaurants and spas with ambitious plans to expand further within the hospitality sector.