Name: The Old Ship Hotel
Address: 31-38 Kings Road, Brighton, England, United Kingdom, Brighton, East Sussex, GB
Price range: $925–$1,037 per night
Rating: 7.6

What guests think

The Old Ship Hotel is praised for its seafront, central location and friendly staff, but many reviews describe dated rooms, worn interiors and maintenance issues, with noise and temperature control also affecting comfort, especially in sea-facing or warmer months.

Guests often like the building’s historic character, sea views and convenient access to the Lanes and pier. Cleanliness and upkeep are mixed, with recurring reports of peeling paint, worn carpets, damp or mold, and erratic hot water or shower pressure. Breakfast ranges from excellent to poor, and facilities such as the small old lifts and limited, paid parking divide opinion. Expect a characterful base in a prime spot rather than a modern, polished stay.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

Communal areas, bar and outdoor seating are popular, and some guests appreciated the on-site gym. Facilities feel dated in places: the lifts are very small and old, and parking is limited and paid, which several guests found expensive.

Related guest reviews

10

J

Jun 15, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The views across the sea are lovely. It's a busy road at times with and with no air con in the room meant windows had to be open in the summer sun. The hotel provides ear plugs though which are a life saver and made for a good night's sleep! The bar is busy with entertainment until the early evening and the drinks are well priced.

6

Ben

Sep 25, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel is still run down - especially in the common areas. Only 2 very small and slow lifts. Room was nice and big with nice bed. Man on reception was very pleasant and checked me in quickly.

6

William

Oct 20, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Ok stay at the Old Ship. No parking available and wasn't able to check into room at 2pm on arrival so didnt get it until returned at 6pm. No early check in for platimum guests. Room was average and dated, probably Worth paying for a deluxe room if return. Love the location of the hotel but it dies need a bit of renovation soon.

2

M

Aug 16, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Unacceptable that your advertise that parking is available. I arrived at 5 pm and had to pay 40 pounds in public car park as hotel car park was full

8

Michael

Nov 28, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

All the staff from check in to the bar in the evening were super friendly and helpful. This is an old building and so has a tiny lift which does the job. The restaurant/bar area are really nice, warm and comfy places to sit. The rooms i found a little out dated, with old brown furniture. The bed needs to be replaced and you need to give the pipes in the shower time to kick in. The carpet is getting very worn in places. This being said it was a cheap hotel for our little brighton getaway and it did the job..

8

Dermid

May 28, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff very friendly and helpful Room was too warm Disappointed that had to pay for parking. When I booked I was told it was ‘first come first served’. I assumed free but in fact had to pay £25 for one night.

10

Rudi

Apr 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Booked for my son, he was very impressed with the gym.

10

Hannah

Nov 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Amazing sea view and great bar - we had such a lovely stay. Part of its charm is that it’s a bit rough around the edges - if you want brand new and shiny there are plenty of places nearby. This hotel is full of character and history - we loved it.

8

Julie

Oct 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good location . This hotel is of age. Breakfast was average and we needed to ask for cooked food to be refilled . There was no choice of eggs or mushrooms . The toast machine took ages to brown. The parking is convenient under the hotel and of a good price .

10

Timothy

Dec 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The lift is a century old and still works

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness is inconsistent: many mention stained carpets, peeling paint, damp or mold, dust and tired bathrooms, though some rooms are reported clean.

Related guest reviews

4

Laura

Nov 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Stayed for one night and arrived in the early hours of the morning otherwise would have spoken to staff about the main issue below. Location is brilliant, staff on reception were lovely, accessibility isn’t great with lots of little staircases on way to the room and narrow doorways. Building is very tired - lots of peeling paint on the window frames and other woodwork. Main issue was a very bright and fresh spot of blood on the bedding when we pulled the duvet back, made me wonder whether sheets had been changed or not. There are great elements of the hotel, even being tired is not an issue if you know what to expect, but I probably wouldn’t stay again despite the great location and friendly staff, sorry.

8

Tony

Oct 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Clean

8

David

May 27, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hotel was clean and tidy,

4

Lindsey

Jun 30, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel reception was nice, however the lift smelt strongly of urine , and the room was not very clean- carpet worn and dust on curtains, mirror and floor- mini fridge also dirty inside- Location is perfect and staff friendly but would not stay again due to cleanliness

4

S

Jul 18, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Rooms dated, grubby, bathroom had mould and grime around taps and facilities, stains on carpets, over hotel needs to reduce costs or refurb!

2

Fabio

Dec 10, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was covered of black mould and and dirty socks left over from previous guests Walked out in the middle of the night

2

Andrew

Oct 19, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

A hotel well last it's sell by date. Overdue a refurb and very tired. Paint crumbling off the room walls, black mold in the built in wardrobe. Just disgusting. That said, the staff couldn't be better and when I asked to check out and leave early they handled it well and offered a refund.

2

Julie

Sep 14, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was disgusting- carpets were eaten away from carpet moths, stained and dirty. The walls were visibly damp to the point the paint was falling off at the slightest touch. Photos have been taken.

6

Marcus

Nov 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was very tired indeed. Shabby furniture, wallpaper coming apart , bathroom grout was black in places , bath had big water stain. Booked a deluxe room , it didn’t look or feel deluxe. Staff very friendly and helpful

8

Stephen

Jul 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Hotel staff good, helpful and friendly. The hotel itself is very shabby from the ouside, lots of rising damp in front elevation. Our room 318 was facing the sea which was nice but windows dirty on outside again damp behind radiator, bits of mouldy plaster on floor see photo, desk in room was in need of TLC, top had lots of blisters see photo, but what made the room really tired was the head board it needs throwing away see photo, carpets throughout have seen better days and threadbare in parts.In general the whole area of Brighton was very tired.We did enjoy the pubs and hotel bar,and had a nice weekend. Parking very exoensive also

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Rooms

Rooms are generally dated and vary in quality; some are large with comfortable beds and sea views, while others suffer from noise, heat or poor ventilation, weak showers, and aging fixtures. A lack of air conditioning and occasional non-working fans are noted.

Related guest reviews

10

Jeanette

Oct 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Large spacious room with a perfect sea view

8

Karen

Jun 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice sea view but the ceiling fan didnt work and the middle sash window would not stay open. Floorboards were very creaky.

8

Keith

Oct 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Just across the road from the sea very nice hotel we was in room 208 above a side road very noisy and a recycling centre opposite with lorry's making noise and lots of young people shouting and talking till 3am outside

10

Nigel

Nov 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Good size room with very comfortable bed and warm

8

allun

Sep 22, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

room with sea view, large and spacious, even if a little tired, get it with old building, bed comfortable, good choice fir breakfast, plenty to choose from, all self service, good bar, and us in easy walking distance to town

6

Mr M

Aug 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Good points - location on the sea front, comparably cheap, all staff friendly, quick check in and out. Breakfast is basic but ok. Not so good points - whole hotel very dated and in desperate need of modernisation and repair, carpet on stairs 'fixed' with duct tape, our room had wallpaper loose off walls, peeling paint, faded pictures, missing coat hangers, no Air Conditioning but window opening restricted to about 6 inches, poor shower pressure and either hot or cold and impossible to get a constant temperature, bath tap not working and leak in bathroom sink, only a vent in the bathroom not an extractor fan. Really bad - East side of hotel is above a nightclub that blasts 'music' until 3.30am but even then still has crowds of clubbers outside shouting at each other (obviously deafened by the music volume in the club!). I will never stay here again

10

Melissa

Apr 30, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Wonderful location and hotel. Directly across from Brighton beach. We had a lovely sea view room. It was a bit loud at night, as the bar was directly under our window, but we managed with a sound machine.

6

Kendra

Jun 27, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Great location. They advertised parking included, but it was closed and we had to pay a lot for a garage. Our rooms were very hot (in June) and the window could only open a crack, so it never cooled down all night.

4

Matt

Jul 30, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

No air con or fans, room was sweltering! Window opened a few cm and the bin men came at 5am waking us up. Couldn’t wake to get out of the room. Poor.

8

Dawn

Mar 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

My second time staying here. It shows its age inside but my room was clean and it's a great location! Can be noisy at night if room overlooks the sea though as lots of stag and hen do's in Brighton!

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Service

Service is generally friendly and helpful across reception, bar and housekeeping, though a few guests reported slow responses, unhelpful interactions or missed housekeeping.

Related guest reviews

4

Lhea Maye

Aug 7, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

We asked for housekeeping but they did not do it. When I asked the reception, they said we put the wrong sign. But i double checked it before we left. So bad they needed to lie!

10

Hannah

Apr 10, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Another amazing stay, staff are friendly, and so helpful and nothing is too much of a problem for them.

10

Lisa

Jul 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The reception staff are lovely and really helpful.The breakfast was lovely and plenty of choice.Love the seating outside the hotel we could just chill and watch the view so lovely.The housekeeping staff are great made our bed and lovely fresh towels for a shower..

2

Jasmine

Jul 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Hotel was awful, electrics in the room did not work, bed was horrific, when complained I was told ‘I’m not an electrician what do you want me to do’ then I was moved rooms to a room with constant foot traffic going past, then moved back and given a plug in fan as their retro ‘air con’ did not work (due to electrics not working). Checked out at 6am and will never go back. Awful hotel, awful staff. I was given a 50% refund and I am now in the process of requesting the final 50% to be issued as I did not get any sleep.

8

Michael

Nov 28, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

All the staff from check in to the bar in the evening were super friendly and helpful. This is an old building and so has a tiny lift which does the job. The restaurant/bar area are really nice, warm and comfy places to sit. The rooms i found a little out dated, with old brown furniture. The bed needs to be replaced and you need to give the pipes in the shower time to kick in. The carpet is getting very worn in places. This being said it was a cheap hotel for our little brighton getaway and it did the job..

10

Anne

Aug 14, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

It's an old building with character. The staff are very helpful and one is always met with a smile. Rooms are very clean with comfy beds. I stayed here in march and enjoyed my stay so came back to stay again.

10

Rosanna

Apr 1, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Excellent hotel and Fantastic stay! The staff were wonderful and I loved everything about my time there. I will definitely be back.

10

richard

Apr 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Value for money. Great position.comfortable room. Helpful staff

10

Justine

Jun 25, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Had a really lovely time staying here for 1 night. Staff are very helpful and polite. Room was amazing. Yes it is an old building so there is going to be some tied look in places. The only down side is the parking if you can get in the hotel parking ( limited spaces ) its 25 pounds for the night . Apart from the parking which i went off one of the side streets and found somewhere but just to warn you its not easy. Had an evening meal at the hotel and it was very good and great value for money. I would recommend this hotel but the parking may be an issue for some people.

10

Mark

Aug 17, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great staff thank you for the free upgrade. Rooms great, Shower powerful and beds comfortable. The hotel is so central and the location is great for the city centre. And all the tourist attractions. Thank you for an amazing stay Mark

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Location

Excellent seafront position near the Lanes, pier and central attractions. Some reviews note significant nighttime street or bar noise and limited on-site parking.

Related guest reviews

10

Melissa

Jul 29, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This location is perfect for visiting Brighton

10

Melita

Jun 6, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Nice centrally located hotel Nice room

10

Melissa

Apr 30, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Wonderful location and hotel. Directly across from Brighton beach. We had a lovely sea view room. It was a bit loud at night, as the bar was directly under our window, but we managed with a sound machine.

8

Dawn

Mar 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

My second time staying here. It shows its age inside but my room was clean and it's a great location! Can be noisy at night if room overlooks the sea though as lots of stag and hen do's in Brighton!

8

Gail

Jul 19, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

The hotel is in a very good position. I understand how old the property is but it needs a lot of TLC.

8

Paul

Aug 7, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

We had a great stay the only problem was being woken up early hours by people shouting outside the hotel on both mornings but other than that it was good stay

8

Andy

Apr 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

It’s brilliantly situated for The Lanes Car Park, the sea front and the Pier A minutes walk and you are in the heart of the lanes. The hotel is cheap but a bit past its best and you can’t have everything! The ladies on the front desk were superb. Well done ladies you could not have been any more welcoming and friendly

8

Andrew

Oct 30, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Perfect location large hotel on seafront. The hotel is historical and old but rooms are comfortable and clean and has all the facilities needed…..bar, restaurant, guests lounge etc. Bathrooms are modern and nicely presented. It’s not 5 star but then again neither are the room rates. Good value, comfortable and a lovely place to stay to enjoy everything Brighton has to offer.

10

Paul

Apr 29, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Friendly staff, comfortable stay, great location

10

C

May 6, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very central to everything. Walkable. No parking on site but one close by £25 for 24 hours. Lift is a an available.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Dining

Breakfast and dining are inconsistent: many enjoyed a good or plentiful buffet, while others found food poor, cold or slow to be replenished. Some dinner dishes disappointed.

Related guest reviews

4

Barbara

Jun 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Location is great very close to the train station and the beach.Spectacular view from the room,bed was very comfortable.But the hotel is very dated,need a refurbishment,carpet was stained,window was dirty,no hot water,Tv didnt work,breakfast was very bad quality and tasteless.I do not recommend this hotel at all.

10

Lisa

Jul 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The reception staff are lovely and really helpful.The breakfast was lovely and plenty of choice.Love the seating outside the hotel we could just chill and watch the view so lovely.The housekeeping staff are great made our bed and lovely fresh towels for a shower..

8

Ashmita

Sep 7, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

sea front view and the breakfast was really good

10

Emma

Feb 8, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great and welcoming service. The hallways are a bit worn out, but then we were surprised by how nice the room was. It was perfect! The breakfast was amazing.

4

Paul

Nov 30, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Breakfast vpoor

6

Roger

Oct 23, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The location was good. The room was clean and generously sized. Check-in was slow - long time before receptionist acknowledged my presence. Straightforward subsequently. Menu looked exciting. However, the food when served was very poor and did not match the menu description. eg triple cooked chips were (admitted by the manager when challenged) simlply oven cooked frozen chips. OK to stay here but eat somewhere else.

8

Carolyn

Nov 3, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff very good. Reception very helpful. Room large, clean and comfortable with excellent mattresses. Suerb breakfast Very good value for money

6

Christopher

Jul 17, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

This is very difficult, the building is old and in poor repair in places. But this is not hidden and really is part of the charm of the hotel. One large criticism is the quality of the breakfast. One pot of tea or coffee which you can get just over one cup of it. Eggs limited to fried only, no scrambled or poached option. Service was poor, with the drinks taking 20 minutes to arrive.

10

Elizabeth

Jul 14, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

We loving staying at the old ship hotel, we stayed many times and cannot fault!! Breakfast is always good too!!

2

ian

May 28, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Terrible the hotel has gone down hill. Very grubby and as for the breakfast was shocking . The staff in the breakfast area was the most miserable people i have ever met. Only asked for some more eggs and all you got was there on its way shocking.

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Month	Average price
January	$59
February	$74
March	$82
April	$136
May	$174
June	$148
July	$162
August	$134
September	$112
October	$87
November	$73
December	$65

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4 $931	5 $931
6 $931	7 $928	8 $926	9 $926	10 $926	11 $926	12 $932
13 $925	14 $929	15 $925	16 $929	17 $929	18 $927	19 $927
20 $933	21 $929	22 $929	23 $933	24 $931	25 $927	26 $927
27 $929	28 $925	29 $927	30 $927

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $925	2 $960	3 $925
4 $925	5 $929	6 $962	7 $929	8 $933	9 $933	10 $929
11 $929	12 $929	13 $927	14 $959	15 $963	16 $929	17 $963
18 $929	19 $963	20 $960	21 $963	22 $960	23 $962	24 $925
25 $1,037	26 $963	27 $929	28 $929	29 $932	30 $929	31 $960

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

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Good

Who stays here?

What guests think

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