A man who stayed in a hotel which caught fire earlier this month claims he found the smoke detector in his hotel room wrapped in cling film last year.

Paul Cowler, 53, checked in at the Royal Albion, Brighton, on December 13 as he was unable to get home due to rail strikes.

The construction manager from Patching arrived at his sea-facing room in the old part of the hotel to find the smoke detector covered in lashings of cling film.

“I could smell marijuana in the hallways so it just made me wonder how many other rooms had their smoke detectors covered over,” said Paul.

“I felt unsafe so told reception. They apologised and upgraded my room but I just didn’t feel comfortable.

The Argus: The smoke alarm which Paul says he found covered with plastic wrappingThe smoke alarm which Paul says he found covered with plastic wrapping (Image: Submitted)

“I ended up leaving and staying in another hotel.”

Paul says his room at the Royal Albion was close to where the fire broke out on July 15.

“It was in the part that burned down, on the third or fourth floor that looks right over the sea,” he said.

Another guest said they experienced a similar incident when they arrived at the hotel to find a sock placed over the fire alarm on a different date.

It comes amid a host of accusations made against the hotel calling into question its fire safety.

We reported last week that a guest staying at the Royal Albion, also in December last year, said the fire alarm had been ripped from the wall of their room.

The guest, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “There were a lot of us staying for a work party.

READ MORE: 'Missing smoke detector and faulty wires at Royal Albion hotel'

“When we arrived, someone from the front desk was on the phone to the police about an incident that was happening in the hotel.

“I went to my room on the second floor and found the fire alarm wires sticking out from the wall.”

Meanwhile, a guest who was staying at the hotel the night it went up in flames told The Argus that when he went to use a bedside lamp, he found a badly damaged plug.

“I didn’t like the look of the hotel when I walked in and I’d never stay there again,” said Steve, 65.

Britannia, which owns the Royal Albion, was contacted for comment.