Business travel is understandably one area where companies can cut back in these troubled times. After all, it doesn’t look good when the executives jet off for a conference in Los Angeles, while the rest of the workforce come to grips with fears about their jobs and livelihoods.

But, of course, business must go on, meetings must take place and venues to hold important conferences and exhibitions which can be vital for orders have to continue — just not in some exotic international location.

That location must be accessible,the facilities more than adequate, and it is also important to ensure the surroundings offer plenty of opportunities for leisure and entertainment.

Brighton is a place that ticks all those boxes and a lot more. It offers something for everyone from the party-lover to the culture vulture and the bracing sea air is a real tonic.

And it is little more than two hours from Oxford, making it easily accessible but very different to the City of Dreaming Spires at every turn.

Think of hotels in Brighton and there is one name that will inevitably spring to everyone’s lips — the Grand.

That is partly because many will remember the bomb which ripped through the hotel in 1984 as the IRA tried to derail the British government by killing as many of the cabinet as possible.

And while five people were killed, Margaret Thatcher addressed the party conference later that day in a typical message of defiance designed to rally her troops and the country against the bombers.

But the Grand has been a talking point in Brighton since it was built in 1864 for the English gentry taking their seaside breaks outside London.

It occupies a prominent place on the seafront and there really is a vaguely decadent air about the Grand as you pull up to the front door with its ornate pillars opening out onto a vast lobby that takes several minutes to take in.

It reminded me a little of the Randolph in Oxford — just much bigger.

In comparison, the room was small but perfectly proportioned with a very comfortable bed and separate bathroom with all the fixtures and fittings you would expect from a quality hotel.

But it was also the coldest hotel room I have ever experienced. Separate heaters had been installed but it took a few calls to make them work properly.

The reason for this is that the Grand is being refurbished, or at least parts of it are. Our room was one that had been modernised but it seems to be an ongoing process by owner DeVere and I suspect that even this grand old lady has been hit by the credit crunch.

Also, wireless Internet was only possible downstairs in the bar. But at least that gave us an excuse to sit in the highly civilised surroundings, enjoy a drink, and having arrived late I ordered a bar meal which was reasonably priced. You really felt that you were enjoying a treat and it is impossible not to relax.

The hotel also has extensive conference facilities catering for up to 800 delegates for a day conference and 400 for residential, while smaller meetings can accommodate from six to 20.

A special “Meetings Inc” package for day conferences costs £37.50 per person.

The food at the Grand is also of a high standard. We enjoyed an excellent three-course dinner with wine in the restaurant overlooking the seafront where people seem to have take up the French habit of promenading.

Of course, Brighton itself is what you make of it. It is a soup of culture mixed with a youthful enthusiasm that seems to ooze from every pore.

From top bands at the Brighton Centre and West End shows at the Theatre Royal to world music, opera and ballet at the Brighton Dome and art exhibitions at Brighton’s museums and galleries, entertainment in the city is hard to beat.

A visit to the Royal Pavilion, with its Indian exterior and Chinese-style interior, is not to be missed. Originally the seaside palace of the Prince Regent, later George IV, this stunning building has been restored to its full splendour and is open all year round.

But if the fully fledged arts scene is not your cup of tea, then wander along the Victorian pier with various food and drink outlets, fairground attractions and Palace of Fun arcade.

Brighton is also a shopping mecca. Explore the intricate maze of twisting alleyways and hidden squares in the 17th-century Lanes. Once the heart of the old fishing town of Brighthelmstone, it is now home to an extraordinary mix of antiques, jewellery and designer labels.

And I doubt whether there is another city in the UK which offers such a variety of independent shops as can be found in the North Laine.

It is fantastic to see so many small retailers thriving and the retail experience is far more uplifting as a result, even to a shopping phobic like myself. Surely other cities could create the same environment — Oxford take note!

Then, when you are hungry there are more than 400 cafes and restaurants to choose from, offering every conceivable form of food from around the world. For business or pleasure, Brighton offers everything and for that event or special occasion, you will wonder why you ever went abroad.