The Ship & Trades

Good. Bit disappointed that bar shut so early (9.30ish)

A busy modern pub with separate restaurant and a small hotel. Room well appointed and clean, we had a waterfront room with large patio. Breakfast a little disappointing, very small buffet with limited options but a reasonable cooked breakfast menu.

Unfortunately our stay was badly affected by the restaurant being closed on arrival. We turned up at 8.03pm after a 3hr drive and was told the kitchen shut at 8pm. Felt this was very poor and they could have shown us a little more empathy. I would be more understanding had the restaurant times be detailed on any of our booking correspondence or on the hotel advert (the breakfast times are detailed). If that had been the case, we would have know and stopped to eat on the way. It's a shame as it's usually a good restaurant. This could have been very easily avoided and ruined our stay.

Check in was great, staff checked cars into the parking system for the duration of the stay, food was excellent, room was clean, the staff were all great, lots of choice of eating establishments, but I wouldn't have wanted to have missed out on an evening meal here either

Nicely situated pub / hotel for the nearby historic dockyard and Rochester town (and Fort Amhurst) Easy check in. Nice room with waterside view (standard room) Comfy bed and compact bathroom with lots of toiletries. Bar and restaurant both excellent with a good range of local beers and food. Nice covered area on the quay for boat and people watching and lots of outside seating for when the weather is more clement. Great value for money if you're in the Chatham area. £10 trip into town on the Uber or an hour walk (not the prettiest!)

Lovely, historic pub walking distance from the Chatham Dockyards. Nice rooms, nice staff, great setting. Breakfast was excellent each day. Dinner was even better. Chatham Dockyards are definitely worth a visit and the pub is just a short walk away. Also, Rochester Cathedral and Rochester Castle are a short drive away and touring them made for a lovely day. The area around the pub is very walkable and there is an outlet mall just across the road.

Parking was straightforward. Hotel and the restaurant are in good order. Staff are excellent and well trained. Rooms were clean and tidy. There was everything you could possibly need but the landing area could do with a paint - thats my only negative observation

Nice cosy room and big bath. Nice to have bar and restaurant on site. Walking distance to shopping and the historic dockyard. Friendly staff. Free parking. Nicer to be overlooking the marina than the dockyard where other hotel is situated.

Lovely Room, with boat theme. Coffee machine rather than just sachets was great - ease of checking and friendly staff - Goo pub for food and drink by the Maritime - Recommend staying here. My third visit 👍

Great staff. Not 24 hour front desk so FYI. Restaurants near by.... In house pub. Comfortable clean bed and bathroom. Needs new carpet... But otherwise has everything you need.

mixed service with the staff. Lift smelt like someone had wee'd in it and the corrido

Lovely hotel, good restaurant and great location for visiting the historical dock yard and call the midwife film location. The only bad thing was, i couldn't turn the tap off in the shower and there was a funny smell in the bathroom ( constantly) i would stay here again.

Lovely hotel and great service. Rooms and corridors are ready for a lick of paint but overall a solid place to stay. Rebooked for the 15th of April!

Great place to stay, room was clean and comfortable. Good breakfast

Excellent stay, room clean and well decorated very comfortable, very powerful shower, staff very friendly and professional, don’t let the appearance from the outside put you off, only had the breakfast but it was excellent. Great view over the harbour,In all good value for money

We enjoyed the room and all the toiletries. Such a pity about the awful smell Permeating the whole hotel. Breakfast was nice.

Room clean and comfortable, staff very friendly, good choice of breakfast, bar well stocked and evening food good

Property desperately needs fresh paint on walls and doors and carpets cleaned. The public areas felt really dirty. It is a tiny hotel lobby and at entrance to bar and restaurant with considerable foot traffic but owners need to make a greater effort to keep it clean and fresh.

It had a great feel and the restaurant was quite good. The main negative was the peeling paint in the bathroom and room was quite warm due to lack of air flow. But all in all a great stay. Would recommend.

Great staff. Not 24 hour front desk so FYI. Restaurants near by.... In house pub. Comfortable clean bed and bathroom. Needs new carpet... But otherwise has everything you need.

A busy modern pub with separate restaurant and a small hotel. Room well appointed and clean, we had a waterfront room with large patio. Breakfast a little disappointing, very small buffet with limited options but a reasonable cooked breakfast menu.

I’ve stayed here before but will not stay again starting working in the kitchen at 9:30 at night is not appropriate When your bedroom is next door to it then being told is the only time they have to do it because the kitchens are open all day when you pay £130 to sleep somewhere you expect to sleep

Lovely staff. Amazing food at a sensible price. Just a bit noisy if in a room on the canal side during opening / cleaning up times. Would stay again if in the area.

Half of the hotel is great the other half is facings the parking and the noise won't let you sleep.

The best in Chatham. Nice room (superior double) with a great view over the marina, in a good location for boaty types and area visitors. I didn't find it noisy. Nice bathroom amenities tea/coffee tray has lots of choice and good quality products. We had dinner in the restaurant and that was decent too.

Bit disappointed after excellent reviews. Maybe Saturday night is not good. Given room next to staff area and could hear noises in our room during the night. Shower was scalding hot so perhaps a warning needed. Waited 45 minutes in restaurant for our food in the evening. Staff seemed pre-occupied and surprised to see us at breakfast. Food good and excellent service from two young people serving at breakfast.

A lovely stay at this well-presented pub, with fantastic food. Our room was comfortable and had a great balcony with beautiful views across the marina. Staff were friendly and helpful. Wish we could have stayed another night!

Good size room with balcony. Comfortable and clean. Good choice of breakfast. Staff very helpful and friendly. Near bus stops and shopping Centre. 15 Minute walk to Historic Dockyards.

Pleasant stay. Friendly staff. Rooms have a sharp design and are well designed for the available space, but some things are well worn and in need of maintenance.

First impression of the hotel was that it was not the most welcoming of establishments, the reception is dark and the lift absolutely stank of fish, when the last time the carpet in it was cleaned is anybody's guess. Our room was directly above the entrance to the hotel/bar and was quite noisy with customers coming and going. However what makes it even worse is that there is a Co-Op next door and they have deliveries at all times of the night/early morning, so if you want a quiet nights sleep, bring some earplugs as we were woken by a refrigeration lorry being parked directly outside and unloaded with the refrigeration unit running flat out for 45mins. Although the Ship and Trades advertises as a hotel and charges as so, it is more of a pub with guest rooms, that are of a lesser standard than a Premier Inn. The bathroom had a shower over the bath, but the bath was extremely slippery even with the rubber bath mat, to the point of being dangerous, as the glass shower screen is too large for the bath and hinges inwards over the bath restricting access. Food in the restaurant was basic with the full breakfast being almost cremated, even though the restaurant was not busy at the time with only six guests. It is very difficult to denote who are staff and who are guests, as the staff have no uniform or name badges and most of them don't seem to know what they doing or have customer liaison skills, as not once were we asked was everything ok. Very disappointing.

We stayed recently on the 23rd May 2025. The staff were incredibly well mannered - especially receptionist Becky. The stay was very clean, safe and comfortable. Next time we come back to the area we will be staying for sure. Would reccomend.

Very good hotel and room excellent (could be better with in room fridge). Breakfast service though was very poor, disinterested staff and not a good attitude towards allergens - despite the venue saying GF options available (placing an iPad on the table and saying look at that - with just bacon and egg to choose from wasn’t great).

Bit disappointed after excellent reviews. Maybe Saturday night is not good. Given room next to staff area and could hear noises in our room during the night. Shower was scalding hot so perhaps a warning needed. Waited 45 minutes in restaurant for our food in the evening. Staff seemed pre-occupied and surprised to see us at breakfast. Food good and excellent service from two young people serving at breakfast.

Excellent stay, room clean and well decorated very comfortable, very powerful shower, staff very friendly and professional, don’t let the appearance from the outside put you off, only had the breakfast but it was excellent. Great view over the harbour,In all good value for money

Room clean and comfortable, staff very friendly, good choice of breakfast, bar well stocked and evening food good

Lovely, historic pub walking distance from the Chatham Dockyards. Nice rooms, nice staff, great setting. Breakfast was excellent each day. Dinner was even better. Chatham Dockyards are definitely worth a visit and the pub is just a short walk away. Also, Rochester Cathedral and Rochester Castle are a short drive away and touring them made for a lovely day. The area around the pub is very walkable and there is an outlet mall just across the road.

Parking was straightforward. Hotel and the restaurant are in good order. Staff are excellent and well trained. Rooms were clean and tidy. There was everything you could possibly need but the landing area could do with a paint - thats my only negative observation

Really love this place, the rooms are comfortable, staff super helpful and friendly. Lovely location, great food offering too.

First impression of the hotel was that it was not the most welcoming of establishments, the reception is dark and the lift absolutely stank of fish, when the last time the carpet in it was cleaned is anybody's guess. Our room was directly above the entrance to the hotel/bar and was quite noisy with customers coming and going. However what makes it even worse is that there is a Co-Op next door and they have deliveries at all times of the night/early morning, so if you want a quiet nights sleep, bring some earplugs as we were woken by a refrigeration lorry being parked directly outside and unloaded with the refrigeration unit running flat out for 45mins. Although the Ship and Trades advertises as a hotel and charges as so, it is more of a pub with guest rooms, that are of a lesser standard than a Premier Inn. The bathroom had a shower over the bath, but the bath was extremely slippery even with the rubber bath mat, to the point of being dangerous, as the glass shower screen is too large for the bath and hinges inwards over the bath restricting access. Food in the restaurant was basic with the full breakfast being almost cremated, even though the restaurant was not busy at the time with only six guests. It is very difficult to denote who are staff and who are guests, as the staff have no uniform or name badges and most of them don't seem to know what they doing or have customer liaison skills, as not once were we asked was everything ok. Very disappointing.

Excellent check in - friendly and very helpful staff . The lady doing breakfast couldn’t do enough for you a bright friendly welcome in the morning

Lovely location, very helpful staff, great service, comfortable room.

Second visit, great service, excellent food in the evening and choice of breakfast, had a room with a view this time, was more spacious and overlooked the marina, thanks for another great stay, lovely evening walks by the river or a nice pint outside. Handy for the Dockyard next day

Lovely hotel overlooking harbour. Friendly staff. Food very good.

Lovely hotel. Bed very comfy. Room spacious and clean. Great location on a nice marina with lots of choice for places to eat and shop. Room very clean. Service was ok. They let us check in early but charged £10.

Nicely situated pub / hotel for the nearby historic dockyard and Rochester town (and Fort Amhurst) Easy check in. Nice room with waterside view (standard room) Comfy bed and compact bathroom with lots of toiletries. Bar and restaurant both excellent with a good range of local beers and food. Nice covered area on the quay for boat and people watching and lots of outside seating for when the weather is more clement. Great value for money if you're in the Chatham area. £10 trip into town on the Uber or an hour walk (not the prettiest!)

The dockyard location is out of the ordinary, a great view and made a pleasant change

Lovely, historic pub walking distance from the Chatham Dockyards. Nice rooms, nice staff, great setting. Breakfast was excellent each day. Dinner was even better. Chatham Dockyards are definitely worth a visit and the pub is just a short walk away. Also, Rochester Cathedral and Rochester Castle are a short drive away and touring them made for a lovely day. The area around the pub is very walkable and there is an outlet mall just across the road.

It is a good setting and the transport to Chatham easy

Nice cosy room and big bath. Nice to have bar and restaurant on site. Walking distance to shopping and the historic dockyard. Friendly staff. Free parking. Nicer to be overlooking the marina than the dockyard where other hotel is situated.

Great place to stay near to Chatham docks and surrounding areas. Staff very helpful and friendly, nice room and great food. Wouldn’t hesitate to stay again.

A busy modern pub with separate restaurant and a small hotel. Room well appointed and clean, we had a waterfront room with large patio. Breakfast a little disappointing, very small buffet with limited options but a reasonable cooked breakfast menu.

Very good hotel and room excellent (could be better with in room fridge). Breakfast service though was very poor, disinterested staff and not a good attitude towards allergens - despite the venue saying GF options available (placing an iPad on the table and saying look at that - with just bacon and egg to choose from wasn’t great).

Unfortunately our stay was badly affected by the restaurant being closed on arrival. We turned up at 8.03pm after a 3hr drive and was told the kitchen shut at 8pm. Felt this was very poor and they could have shown us a little more empathy. I would be more understanding had the restaurant times be detailed on any of our booking correspondence or on the hotel advert (the breakfast times are detailed). If that had been the case, we would have know and stopped to eat on the way. It's a shame as it's usually a good restaurant. This could have been very easily avoided and ruined our stay.

Second visit, great service, excellent food in the evening and choice of breakfast, had a room with a view this time, was more spacious and overlooked the marina, thanks for another great stay, lovely evening walks by the river or a nice pint outside. Handy for the Dockyard next day

Lovely hotel overlooking harbour. Friendly staff. Food very good.

Everything was fine. The only thing for me is breakfast doesn’t start till 8 o’clock which is way too late as I have to start work at eight But there is a co-op next door

The breakfast choice was great if you wanted cooked food - otherwise just cereals and juice - no fruit, yoghourt or pastries

I was there with a couple of colleagues on a business trip. The service was friendly and efficient and the area surrounhding the hotel was interesting, old dockyards bveing modernised, easy access to the historic old port and town of Rochester too. Slightly disappointing that cooked breakfast started at 07.30 which meant we only had time for cereal as we needed to leave early for work. It would be good if the hotel could accommodate those people on work related trips who are often out very early in the morning

nice property and staff in a lovely area. very good breakfast options included in the price. did not eat here other than that as there is almost nothing gluten free on the menu except for steak ?????. walkable to Chatham naval yard museum which is excellent, and very close to shopping centre which we were not very impressed with - a bit run down. would stay here again if in the area

Really love this place, the rooms are comfortable, staff super helpful and friendly. Lovely location, great food offering too.