From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Liane Castle, 24 December 2023.

Rhodesia Hotel in Folkestone, once owned by Saga founder Sidney De Haan, put up for sale for £1.2 million.

A 19-bedroom hotel once owned by the founder of Saga has been put on the market for £1.2 million.

The Grade II-listed Rhodesia Hotel in Clifton Crescent, Folkestone, dates back to Victorian times and played a key role in the town’s history.

The seaside venue became a holiday hotspot for retirees after being bought in 1948 by Sidney and Margery De Haan – the parents of Sir Roger, who is currently transforming the town’s seafront.

Sidney marketed the Rhodesia as the ideal location for the over-60s looking for a coastal getaway.

The idea quickly proved popular – with thousands of visitors filling hotels in Folkestone and elsewhere along the Kent coast – and ultimately developed into the creation of one of the county’s biggest employers.

Now more than 70 years later, estate agent Reeds Rains are selling the five-floor Rhodesia, which is “in need of updating”.

The imposing building is located on a corner plot a stone’s throw from The Leas. Every room is said to have a sea view.

Saga’s founder Sidney De Haan.

Saga Retirees outside the Rhodesia Hotel in Folkestone in 2001.

The property is being sold with “vacant possession” – which means it must be empty on the day of completion.

The Rhodesia was the starting point of Sidney De Haan’s success.

Capitalising on the popularity of coastal getaways which he had sparked, he started a business called The Old People's Holiday Bureau. It was renamed Saga Holidays in 1968.

His travel empire opened offices in Folkestone to handle the growing demand and employed hundreds of local people.

It quickly became one of the county's top employers and fastest-growing businesses.

Sir Roger De Haan pictured in the Folkestone Creative Quarter.

Sidney and Margery had three sons – David, Roger and Peter.

Sir Roger De Haan – who was knighted in 2014 – took over Saga in 1984 when his father retired, and then ran the company with his brother Peter for a further twenty years before selling up.

Over the past two decades, Sir Roger has spent a huge chunk of his fortune on sparking an arts-led regeneration of Folkestone, including buying the town’s harbour for £11 million.

The harbour arm - owned by the businessman’s Folkestone Harbour Seafront Development Company (FHSDC) - is now one of Kent’s premier tourist attractions.

From the https://www.kentonline.co.uk By Alex Keir, 23 November 2025.

Application submitted by William Brown for former Rhodesia Hotel to be turned into five flats.

A fire-gutted Victorian hotel, which was the birthplace of Saga, could be turned into five new flats.

A planning application has been submitted to transform the Rhodesia Hotel in Folkestone - a Grade II-listed building which went up in flames earlier this year.

New proposals have been submitted to convert the fire-damaged Rhodesia Hotel into five flats.

Developer William Brown has submitted the application to Folkestone and Hythe District Council after seeking pre-application advice from the authority.

Documents describe the proposed change of use as “the most appropriate in order to preserve and restore this important local building”, adding that the hotel layout no longer meets modern requirements.

The former hotel was the birthplace of Saga when it was founded in 1951 by Sidney De Haan.

It was then marketed as the ideal location for the over-60s looking for a coastal getaway.

Firefighters were called to the derelict Rhodesia Hotel in Clifton Crescent, Folkestone to tackle a blaze. Picture: Jane Chapman.

This ultimately led to the creation of the holiday company, which has been based in Folkestone and Sandgate throughout its existence.

Scaffolding was placed around the site earlier this year following the blaze, with extensive repairs now needed.

At the height of the blaze, seven fire engines and a height vehicle were in attendance, and crews remained at the scene for more than 12 hours.

The building, in Clifton Crescent, was placed on the market for £1.2 million in 2023 and sold in August to Mr Brown.

William Brown secured the hotel in the summer after the building had been on the market for over a year.

A decision on the application is expected in the coming months.

It is not the only rundown building Mr Brown has converted in Folkestone.

Work has been carried out to transform the eyesore office block above Bonmarché in the town centre into 27 apartments.

The former Rhodesia Hotel in Folkestone after the fire on March 31 this year.

Mr Brown suffered the ultimate personal tragedy when his seven-year-old son, William Jr, was killed in a road accident in Sandgate in December 2023.

The youngster was hit by a van and another car as he collected his football from the road outside his home on Sandgate Esplanade.

A coroner concluded the cause of death was accidental at an inquest last September.

Mr Brown renamed the Bonmarché building at the corner of Sandgate Road and Guildhall Street Master William’s Place in honour of his son.

The former Rhodesia Hotel in Folkestone is Grade II-listed. Picture: Bushman.

The currently unused site sits in the town centre, and plans reveal hopes for an illuminated shopfront designed to be “in keeping with the character of the street and surrounding businesses”.

According to the application, the change of use aims to “enhance the vibrancy and attractiveness” of the area while “creating a welcoming environment for residents and visitors”.