BRIGHTON has cemented its place as Brits’ last minute destination of choice for weekend breaks.

More people than ever are searching for hotel deals in the city less than three days before they travel.

Research by Lastminute.com shows a 20% increase compared to 2013.

Visitors were much more likely to make a spontaneous visit to the seaside city than Edinburgh or Manchester.

Brighton was also revealed as the number one seaside destination, ahead of Blackpool, Bournemouth and Southend, according to the website.

Nick Mosley, vice chairman of the Tourism Alliance, said: “It is really positive news that we are getting this level of recognition, however we still need to work hard on advanced marketing to create predictable and consistent bookings in our hotels and restaurants.

“Whilst any marketing activity that gives us national and international profile is good, the commission taken by booking engine sites considerably impacts on the margins of hotel operators in particular.”

Jeremy Ornellas, proprietor of Blanch House, said: “I could imagine Brighton would be high on the list for last minute weekends.

“Perhaps this is due to its close proximity from London, when the trains are running properly, Gatwick Airport and good motorway and road links towards the edge of the city only.

“As a smaller boutique hotel in Brighton we do experience healthy advance bookings for weekend stays all year round and we receive quite a few enquiries for last minute getaways as each weekend approaches.”

A hotter than average summer is thought to be behind the boom in Brighton searches on Lastminute.com.

Lastminute has also developed a local guide which recommends 45 independent businesses to visit in the city, including Blackbird Tea Rooms, Boho Gelato, Beyond Retro, Resident Music, Neighbourhood, Troll's Pantry at Hobgoblin, Terre à Terre, Chilli Pickle, the North Laine pub, Craft Beer Co, The Mesmerist, The Marwood and Bom Banes.