Opened in 1903 as the Grand Mansions, The Grand quickly became a popular establishment with London society and proved to be a magnet for royalty and nobility, as well as politicians, writers and musicians, who came for lengthy stays during the summer months. Built by an innovative local builder using a steel frame construction and reinforced concrete, The Grand was innovative from the outset.

The iconic conservatory restaurant, Palm Court, is believed to have been the haunt of Edward VII and his mistress Alice Keppel, great grandmother of Queen Camilla. The Grand boasts one of the first sprung dance floors in Europe and was immortalised in the script of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit (when Elvira is noted to have gone to Folkestone to see friends in The Grand) and more recently as the primary location for the film Misper, which won Best UK Feature at the Manchester Film Festival 2026.

The Grand has been an important landmark on the Kent coast for over 120 years and other famous visitors have included Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill and Vivienne Westwood. Since its heyday when Folkestone was a fashionable seaside resort, The Grand has stood as an imposing presence on the seafront. It survived throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s as a hotel, before the upper floors were converted into residential apartments. In recent years, the once state-of-the-art hotel has fallen into disrepair. The public areas continued to operate until around 2020 and the freehold was acquired by leaseholders in 2021. The reopening of its spaces to the public present a new chapter in the building’s remarkable history.

The cultural programme at The Grand was initially run by Beton Collective and since 2024, it has been led by Grand Arts CIC. In January 2026, Megan Piper was appointed as the organisation’s inaugural Executive Director to lead the restoration and revival of the building’s public spaces.