The Old Ship Hotel

On the seafront, perfect

The location

It's currently under a major refurbishment and I can't wait to go back

Unfortunately, we feel the hotel was misrepresented when we booked. The images and description advertised an experience that simply was not available on arrival, and had we been given an accurate picture beforehand, we would have chosen alternative accommodation. We arrived to find the front of the hotel completely covered in scaffolding, with no prior notification. While we appreciate that maintenance work is sometimes unavoidable, guests should be informed in advance, particularly when it significantly impacts the appearance and atmosphere of a seafront hotel. More importantly, key facilities that influenced our decision to book were unavailable. One of the advertised bars was closed, and the seafront outdoor terrace shown in the hotel's promotional images no longer existed, instead consisting of a few chairs placed outside behind scaffolding. As we specifically chose a Brighton seafront hotel to enjoy its outdoor spaces, this was a major disappointment and not the experience we had paid for. The hotel also felt very dated, with several areas noticeably unclean, further adding to the sense that the property did not reflect how it had been marketed. We believe we were unable to make an informed booking because important information about the ongoing works and unavailable facilities was not disclosed. Charging full price while key aspects of the advertised experience are unavailable is not acceptable.

Staff friendly and helpful. Room was perfect location. Lots of history.

Its sadly closing for renovation

Location

No tv when arrived , moved three times before room was up to scratch, scaffolding on hotel

Location

Noise Some light switches didn't work Bed sunk into middle

Nothing as we booked it at the wrong time as it's getting a full refurbishment was never worth the money

Everything as it was getting done up

It's a shame it's closing down for works to be done on the hotel...the staff were excellent 👌

The fact it was half closed for works

We have stayed here a few times in the past, but it’s obviously been run down which is very sad. On arrival we changed our room because it was that bad.

We only found out about the hotel was in the process of being sold and renovation had started and was closing the very next day. We had builders starting work on the Sunday morning.if we had known about the building work and it being closed the very next day we would’ve booked a hotel elsewhere. I think booking.com should have warned us upon booking about these issues.

Excellent breakfast European and full English! Staff were very helpful and knowledgeable of good restaurants and the area

Shame it’s shutting for refurb on sunday 30th August until next year and the staff have all been made redundant!

A minor issue with one of the cleaning staff. Check out is 11am. Around 10.50am a knock at the door as I was packing away and greeted with a rather abrupt “Check out is 11!” And looked at like I was filth. Explained I’d be gone a minute, didn’t appreciate the tone and mentioned to receptionist on handing the key card back. I’d have like to have departed on a more positive exit but apart from that a pleasant stay as always.

Such old lovely charm. Shame it closes this weekend to turn into a Marriott in my view.

Nothing really.

Situated on seafront

Under reconstruction- had we known we would not of stayed. Not value for money. Remote control in room for tv absolutely disgusting and not touchable

Location

Location of room

The 2 members of staff did their best to accommodate with the breakfast. Very friendly.

Was not clear to what extent the refurbishment work was taking place at time of booking. I don’t think it reflected the price paid

Very tired and run down hotel

Couldn't fully open the windows and stayed during one of the summers hottest heatwaves!

Het was een fijne locatie, centraal en goed bereikbaar.

Jammer dat er stond dat je bij het hotel kon parkeren en dat niet kon vanwege werkzaamheden. Hierdoor moesten wij veel extra geld neerleggen voor een parkeerplek bij een parkeergarage.

Nothing, the parking was closed, the rooms were old and dirty. The hotel closes in a week and should not be open as old and dirty.

Nothing

Hotel is in the process of closure for re brand and is running down the facilities

Location perfect

Nothing

Location perfect. Staff lovely. Ancient lift ! 106 years old! Breakfast was lovely. Sadly hotel closing for refurb. But we had a lovely time 2nd year in a row.

Staff and room was amazing

First room hadn't been cleaned. Pizza box and beer bottles, dirty bed and bins. But staff quckly found another room and gave a complimentary bottle of wine. Great location, breakfast was fabulous. Staff very helpful and friendly

Location

I understand that refurbishing is taking place but it was extremely disruptive and it really should be shut whilst works are ongoing

Unfortunately, the ship hotel is undergoing a major renovation with it due to shut at the end of August when I booked our hotel room we were told that they were having some work done to the outside of the property not that there was a £44 million renovation going on and 3/4 of the building is actually demolished and undergoing major works

Our room was right at the top of the building. It was small cramped damp with a major leak going on outside our bedroom door with a bucket catching the water. We were also up in the eaves of the hotel with all the builders who are currently working on the project.

Umbaumaßnahmen, dh statt Meerblick hatten wir Bauarbeiter, die ab 8.00 auf dem Gerüst herumkletterten und Baulärm verursachten! Der Teppich war sehr fleckig und in der Badewanne konnte man nur schlecht warmes Wasser bekommen, da die Mischbatterie uralt war!

Location & room was nicely decorated.

The hotel was being renovated. Had I known this before booking & paying for the hotel , I would not have chosen to stay .

How close it was to all amenities, how polite and professional the staff were especially Anton who managed the breakfasts

The door to our room (246) not being able to close and no air conditioning in the room

Supa, amazing location and super friendly staff made everything very easy. The bed was also super comfortable!

The stairs are a little confusing due to the old property. Nothing too bad tho. During the summer it can get hot in the room too.

It was central to everything

No air conditioning

Location - right accross the toad from the beach

Extorted price £109 since there was no advice on Booking.com about scaffolding covering whole hotel ( no view) & I have had room with view.... ....and booking did not notified us about closure at the end of August for extensive refurbishment of the hotel.... That would make me not bother to book. Hotel should not be listed as 4 * in 2026, which might have been sometimes in 1971! However reception area was nice decor and in very good condition. Rooms should have been priced at £30-£40 at most for whole August... Lady @ reception has offered me £20 discount...even with that price was extortion. Rooms were tiny, had small fridge, complimentary 2 small waters, hairdryer, fans which still did not help heat and coffee making( kettle, coffee,). R

The location was perfect. But Brighton as a whole was filthy it has really gone down hill.

The staff were great , the room was clean but needs up grading which I know they r doing . It’s a very old building so u can’t expect it to be perfect . It was a lot of money for one night but then u r paying for the location.

The location was perfect

Wasn't impressed with the full breakfast. Very dry ,plus didn't look edible. Sausage looked under cooked .

Friendly staff, cooling fan supplied, fridge in room, great breakfast

Noise from outside at 3am. Coffee wasn’t good at breakfast

Location

All good

NA

Hotel & rooms needs an upgrade ,tatty carpets & tired furniture

Stayed here a few times. Love it. Yes, it’s old and a bit run down in corners but the staff are charming and the rooms have a bath. Always happy.

Can be noisy on the seafront with a dance bar playing tunes until 4am I can’t lie.

Perfectly clean and a great location, really liked the friendly staff. Rooms are rather tatty though.

Please paint the outside of the building! It’s lovely inside

Right on the sea front. Friendly staff. Big room

It’s a bit run down but is closing for a huge refurbishment

The location

Just too tired

Good location. Friendly staff. Comfortable bed. Clean bedding.

Hotel now alittle tired and shabby in some places but is being updated in the next few months

Location

Staff very helpful and friendly.

The first room we were given you would have been a mouse to fit in there only one tap working and the windows didn't open. Went to complain Louis gave a different room much better. Then the bar was shut followed by having two walk up two flights for breakfast. I understand they are shutting to refurbish and I did receive a email about scaffolding but nothing else Best to shut now Louis and lady receptionist were so nice and kind.

Location.

Scaffolding, no discount on the room, very expensive, wanted a nice view which is what I paid for. Bathroom was awful, shower cold, door didn’t shut properly.

Convenient and on the front - a grand old dame of an hotel

Breakfast was disappointing

We’ve been coming to this hotel fir many years, it’s very old and dated but the staff on reception are so welcoming, friendly and can’t do enough for you

The shower is awkward in the bath and didn’t work very well

Location, staff

Banging doors

The bed was comfortable

Room needs refurbishment badly. Sea view room has view of dirty scaffolding and you pay extra for that. Loo didn't flush properly. Carpet dirty, needs replacing. Whole place in need of renovation. Don't sell rooms with the entire front covered in scaffolding and dirty netting. The location is noisy until about 2:00am at weekends. Poor value. I would have stayed somewhere else.

The bathroom had lime scale in bath near taps and bathroom sink taps moving and trying to find somewhere to park wa awful cost a fortune

Bathroom needs sorting out new taps in sink and bath lime scale new bath floor creaking near window room n

I normally really enjoy staying at the old ship however I thought it was unusual there was vacancies for last minute bookings because it is normally very.popular

On this occasion there was refurbishment going on which I was not informed about and I was surprised to see they had started the refurb in the newest part of the hotel and the rooms they put me in was not acceptable for the cost, lots of other guests were complaining they had rats running round which is completely unacceptable.

It was in a great location

The hotel is a tired and needs renovation. The breakfast wasn't great

Location

Breakfast was cold

We did not stay , wasn’t told that hotel was closing down temp bar scaffolding covering building we asked for a refund and they would only refund for one night , the duty manager refused to speak to us (Yvonne) on 3 occasions she refused, she left it to reception to deal with and accused us of having a better deal elsewhere, rubbish

Everything , we are now going through the process of a full refund , we was told by receptionist that refund was down to booking .com but that is not the case ,,, take it up with our duty manager funnily enough is on holiday until 14th August !!

Good location if you would have been to this hotel a 100 years ago it would have been splendid with some of the features inside come here after the renovation and i am sure it will be nice

Tired looking building that is currently having a refurbishment. Thread bare carpets. Dusty. The bar was overpriced for selling G off the shelf beer. The breakfast was average nothing special

Great location close to pier

La ubicacion es excelente. El hotel ha sido hermosisimo, falta un poco de mantenimiento. Creo q estan trabajando en eso. Habitación amplia y cómoda. El salón comedor es bellísimo!!!! El desayuno es muy bueno El personal, especialmente el mozo, es muy amable y cordial.

Tiene 1 solo ascensor , que es viejo y ppr lo tanto, muy lento

Great location, lovely staff and the room was really nice and cosy.

The fan was noisy in night, the shower was Luke warm despite turned full on hot, and cooked breakfast was a bit bland.

Location was great

Shabby, tired hotel

Local

Out dated terrible breakfast

The staff were very helpful and friendly, it was near everything and by the sea. The history of the building was interesting.

The hotel was dated and tired and lots of things needed replaced but for the price it suited our needs.

O tamanho do quarto

Os funcionários

Staff re very good

Needs a refurb. Which is happening soon

Excellent location, right on the beachfront and almost opposite the pier. The hotel has a lovely vintage charm and character, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. I stayed here last year and had a better experience overall. It's noticeable that the hotel is going through an upgrade, and I hope some customer concerns will be addressed as part of the improvements

There were no bedside tables or power sockets near the bed, which was inconvenient. The ceiling fan was very slow and didn't provide much cooling, and the additional fan supplied in the cupboard was noisy and rattled. The shower pressure was quite weak, and it would have been helpful to have an iron and hairdryer available in the room.

Location

Was 4* way back in the 1980s now two to three star charging four star prices

Location

Layout was confusing Rooms were dated & scrappy Bathroom was old Bed was incredibly uncomfortable Really noisy

The staff were helpful and friendly.

There is no car parking at the Ship Hotel even on a first come first basis , they stopped this last year. The hotel is currently undergoing renovation so the building is swathed in tarpaulin so its very dark inside and this wasnt mentioned in the booking.

Het is een prachtig oud gebouw dat heel veel liefde nodig heeft. Daar zijn ze op dit moment druk mee bezig. Daardoor is alles wat oudbollig en heeft het heel veel onderhoud nodig. Maar alles werkt en als je daar doorheen kan kijken is het een top hotel op een top locatie en alle medewerkers zijn ontzettend lief en vriendelijk wat voor mij altijd het belangrijkste is…

Het was goed geen klachten

L'emplacement

Hôtel très très vieux et vieille moquette partout , bois sombre.... Pas de climatisation

Breakfast was poor,probably due to the hotel closing soon due to a refurbishment

Breakfast

Good location

Run down

Direct on the sea front, everything is close by hotel lovely comfortable bed breakfast lovely lots of choice

N/A

Я бронировала номер с видом на море , но это было ужасно . Я доплатила дополнительно сумму за вид , и только потом я получила сообщение о том что там ведутся ремонтные работы. Краны были сломаны . Не рекомендую

Location, have always stayed here, blonde girl behind the bar very friendly and nice.

Scaffolding, I know it can’t be helped, but a real shame about the outside seating area at the front, shower ok, but dripping tap, carpets in the room threadbare in places, no fridge available.

It's rustic charm!

The scaffolding!

Great location and breakfast

A little tired

Lokalizacja

Wymaga remontu. Popękane ściany w pokoju

Friendly helpful staff. Excellent location

Very tired building. Poor shower.

Location lovely room size, the entrance hall reception lovely

Scaffolding around the front which wasn’t so pleasant for the sea view room. The room was tired though clearly they have plans to renovate the whole establishment as signs posted in reception area indicating so

Nothing

The location to the beach and pier.

Super hot room. Ceiling fan insufficient. They brought us a stand up fan which helped but not great.

Location is perfect, size of room great

Room in serious need of update, damp patches on the walls, cracked tiles in bathroom, furniture very worn.

The old ship is very unique and old. I love the interior and hope they keep its unique decor that makes it a lovely place to stay.

The staff were very friendly, welcoming and helpful.

We were mis-sold the “Sea View” on booking.com The hotel is undergoing extensive renovation and huge scaffolding all around the outside so we had so much of the beach and sea view obscured that we could only see a peek of the footpath or the wind farm in the Channel. Both the Hotel and especially booking.com should have a big, bold message and reduced rates for all the rooms affected as the “sea view” was so Minis use. We will try and attached photos from inside our room showing the tiny sea view being obscured by all the scaffolding!

Het hotel is een beetje oubollig maar daardoor ook wel weer heel charmant. Prima nette kamer met goede bedden. Prima hotel voor op doorreis.

the location is great.: at the beachfront , and few steps away from the lanes. hotel has plenty of character and the staff are most kind people and very helpful, so it made us almost forget that the hotel itself didnt meet our expectations. Rooms were clean, breakfast was delicious, and again the staff very very kind.

The building is old and there is no air conditioning. The windows could barely be opened, so it was almost impossible to get any fresh air into the room, which made it very uncomfortable during the hot weather. The plumbing was in poor condition. Water pressure was extremely low, making it difficult even to take a shower, and the toilet flush was weak. At one point, the water suddenly became extremely hot, making it impossible to shower safely until the temperature stabilized.

Nothing as it was under renovation and didnt inform us how bad it would be

Most of the staff were helpful but the manager wasn’t very good . They were struggling with fans to keep us cool. Limited bar openings. No restaurant for dinner. Everyone there were complaining. My family and I have used this hotel a lot but will definitely think twice when we come to Brighton

It’s location and it was clean

It was very tired, in desperate need of renovation. Poor accessibility although we had been warned about that before arriving.

Charming old victorian-style hotel in almost historically original condition. The stairwell is a maze, but the signs on the walls will prevent you from getting lost. Solid breakfast served in the splendid Paganini Ballroom. I even got fresh made porridge. Friendly staff.

Along with originality comes age. The furniture is pretty much at the end of its lifecycle, though I must say that the room is kept impeccably clean. In the bathroom, you can enjoy an old-fashioned, gigantic bathtub. Right now (June 2026), the seafront of the hotel is covered by a scaffold and I woke up every morning at half past seven by the noise from the men that were renovating the facade. When I mentioned this impairment at checkout, I was offered a 20% discount on the room rate. Still, the room seemed a little bit overpriced, given the overall state of the house.

Staff were very good and helpful

Nothing

Location

Scaffolding - no air con - tv randomly coming on

nulla struttura orrenda fatiscente in decadenza

hotel ORRIBILE moquette vecchia e sporca tutta la struttura da rifare riservato camera con vista mare chiusa dai ponteggi per rifacimento facciata. Booking com non è stato attento . dovevano chiudere l hotel e riaprirlo dopo la ristrutturazione . prezzo pagato indecente rispetto a quello offerto. Mai piu !!!!

It was well located and the staff were excellent

Maybe it is because there is work going on in the hotel but there was dust everywhere including on the spare toilet roll which was so thin we had to buy some, the breakfast was basic

Breakfast was ok

It’s falling apart. Room was awful. It’s in the middle of a refurb but I don’t think it’s fit for people to stay at the moment. I very much regret booking this hotel to the extent that I nearly moved to a different one.

Location and that’s about it

Old. So old, from the lift to the rooms. No air conditioning, boiling hot in the room.

Everything

The location

No parking as advertised, no restaurant or bar open as the hotel us going through renovations which was not mentioned on your website.

Location

Scaffolding, not full bar & no food facilities except breakfast. Couldn’t get a cup of tea during the day. Bar shut 20 minutes early after saying it was shutting at 11. The night of the football it shut at 9pm. No air con but got a fan but some of my family weren’t so lucky. Great staff apart from the manager

Location

Cleanliness

Magnificent old hotel, the decor is stunning, perfect location directly in front of the beach, lovely staff, close to attractions and city center by walk, beautiful rooms with king size beds. 100% recommend + 100% will come back to stay in this hotel

Très bon emplacement pratique et face à la mer. Le personnel est très courtois et serviable.