The Hilton West Pier Hotel in Brighton is up for sale.

It is one of 11 UK hotels being sold off by the Hilton Group because they no longer meet company standards.

The £55-a-night hotel will be sold as a going concern and is thought to be worth up to £10 million.

Hilton says it will consider offers from prospective individual buyers but will more likely sell all 11 sites to another major hotel chain.

The company would not give a guide price but a survey of commercial estate agents revealed hotels are selling on the basis that each room is worth upwards of £70,000.

The Sixties-built West Pier Hotel has 131 en-suite rooms, conference facilities, car parking, bar and restaurant and a prime seafront location.

A Hilton spokesman said: "Hilton is planning four new major city centre hotels in the UK and is selling those that no longer fit in with its brand image in terms of the look of the hotels, their size, facilities and infrastructure.

"The West Pier is one of the hotels we do not consider fits the direction of the company."

The Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel, also on the seafront, will not be sold.

Roger Marlowe, of the Brighton and Hove Hotel and Guest House Association, said: "I would like to see it upgraded. That's not to say it is not up to scratch at the moment but it would be nice to see someone come in and change it into a five-star operation.

"There is a danger one of the chain outfits could come in and reduce it to four stars, which would be a shame for such a prominent position."

An expert in commercial and leisure property, who did not want to be named, said: "I can't see it being sold to an individual. The overheads are massive and it would take quite a bit of reinvestment to get it up to scratch.

"It is a Sixties building and a little drab and behind the times.

"It's more likely it will be bought by one of the larger chains who offer cheap rooms, like Ibis or Moat House, who have the money to invest, the expertise to run the hotel and the brand name to attract customers.

The Hilton West Pier building replaced the old Bedford Hotel, which was destroyed by a mysterious fire in 1964.