The Old Ship Hotel

Upon entering hotel public areas - Lobby, Reception and bar made us think we had made the right choice with this hotel. Upon entering the bedroom we realised this not to be the case. The room had clearly not been cleaned properly for some time as there was a thick layer of dirt on window sill and despite being in a non smoking room the floor had plenty of cigarrette ash on the floor of the bedroom. There also appeared to be some mould on the wall next to the bed. Upon using the bathroom we discovered that the sink was completly blocked and the hotel were unable to sort this out before we left for our night out, meaning we were unable to get ready properly, spoiling our night out. Upon complaing we were offered some free drinks in the var but advised that we were unable to have any refund as we had booked through an online booking company. Hotel location is great but rooms require some updating or at least a clean!

We stayed here last weekend, which was, admittedly , in very hot weather. What a shame the refurbishment didn't include air-conditioning, but did include a very inefficient fan. It was difficult to get a sandwich later in the evening, without going through room service, and the extra charges incurred. After some thought the barman manged to produce a bowl of snacks. We had to leave fairly earl;y in the morning, and breakfast wasn't served till 8, and the garage didn't open until after that. So apart from the location, we weren't too impressed. Definitely wont stay there again. I would rather go to a better hotel to be overcharged

We have always found it hard to find anywhere descent to stay in Brighton - its all so overpriced and abit shabby - so we were very pleasantly surprised by the Old Ship. We hadn't booked anywhere beforehand and we're glad we hadn't read some of the previous reviews otherwise we would have walked straight passed. The reception staff were very welcoming and helpful and offered us interconnecting rooms as we had the children with us. Expecting this to be way beyond our price range, we were pleasantly surprised. We asked to see the rooms first however, based on past experience of hotels in Brighton, and the porter was very friendly and talkative as he took us up to the rooms. The rooms were to the side of the hotel and didn't have the best of views but they were large, well furnished and comfortable. All the staff we met were extremely friendly - particularly the waiters at breakfast, which was a feast in itself. If it can satisfy our eldest daughter it can satisfy anyone! The hotel is so convenient for all parts of Brighton - whether it be the sea, pier or the shops and we can't wait to go back there again.

We booked a bargain room at the old ship @ £69 for a dbb. The room was lovely, overlooking the seafront, with a balcony. The room was well furnished, and shabby chic, excactly what you would expect for such an old hotel. we parked in the garage and really did not mind the fee as it was so convenient. I would recomend it, but make sure you ask recepion for a really nice room when you arrive. It paid dividends for us!

I stayed at the hotel at a special discounted rate, but it was still not worth the money. The hotel did not look overly clean on the outside but the area downstairs had fairly new-looking decor (if not to my taste). Upstairs was a different story however. The hallways and the rooms looked in need of a lick of paint - decor looked grubby and dated, and paintwork was chipped. The room was noisy at night but I would have half-expected that because of its location. However, even with the earplugs I'd brought with me, I still didn't get any sleep, because the bed was awful. It was so lumpy that the springs were virtually coming out of the mattress. The next day I complained and was told that nothing was available. The person I complained to had a very obvious can't be bothered attitude. I stood my ground and she eventually said she would look into it but would guarantee nothing. I checked back later and another rather more helpful member of staff had taken over. It soon became obvious nothing at all had been done by the original staff member who had gone off duty without telling anyone about the problem. However, strangely enough, there happened to be a room free - no doubt it had been available all the time as I had made my complaint well past check-out time. That room still had the tired decor but the bed, while still old and lumpy, at least did not pose the immediate risk of a spring sticking in your spine. The last time I'd slept on a bed like that was in a hostel when I was backpacking years ago - but this hotel is not charging dorm prices. When given a feedback form I stated what had happened. The one aspect which prevents me giving this one star is that I did recieve an apology from the manager by letter, with an offer of a one-night stay. I didn't bother taking up the offer as I had no interest in going back there. I stayed here some time ago and it is a shame to see so many more recent reviews from which indicate there has probably been little improvement. There are so many better hotels in Brighton now, it needs to raise its game.

Having read previous Trip Advisor reviews of the Old Ship Hotel, I was somewhat worried about my impending trip to a conference at Brighton. On arrival, my colleague and I were greeted a the garage by a friendly member of staff, who was expecting us and very kindly parked our hire car for us (the cost is somewhat expensive at 20 pounds per day, but parking in Brighton is never cheap!). The reception desk was friendly and efficient and we were checked in quickly. Both my colleague and I were given no smoking rooms on the second floor, mine was fine, but my colleague's room smelled strongly of cigarette/cigar smoke (despite being a no smoking room!). On contacting reception to complain, he was told that they couldn't stop people smoking in these rooms!, but he was given another room (which was not so nicely furnished) elsewhere in the Hotel. My room looked over Ship Street and had recently been refurbished and there were plentiful supplies of tea, coffee, biscuits and toiletries. The only problem with my room was the noise. Until the early hours of the morning, there was noise from occupants of the street down below and then from about 5am there was noise from suppliers delivering to the Hotel (and not quietly either - lots of crashing and banging about, particularly by the laundry delivery agent!). So I did not get a lot of sleep during my stay. The food was good. Breakfasts consisted of a huge choice of cereals, fruit juices, fresh fruit salad, cooked foods and croissants. The two ladies supervising the breakfast were very welcoming. The two evening meals I had in the Hotel were good too, although some of the serving staff need some more training (ie not to reach in front of guests to retrieve another guest's empty plate!). The signage in the Hotel was poor (not the fire exit signage, which was up to the required standard), but the signs showing the location of rooms. The first day, I spent 15 or so minutes trying to find my way down to the ground floor, ending up at the gents' toilet! It seems that the Hotel is divided into two and it depends on which side of the Hotel your room is as to which staircase and which lift to use, but this is not terribly apparent. I noted the security aspects of the Hotel, having read the previous alarming reviews and thought that this could be improved. The reception desk is someway from the front door and this could allow anyone to just walk in off the street unchallenged. The porters' desk which is near the front door is not constantly manned. Another alarming aspect was noted when I returned to my room after breakfast and was let into my room by the cleaner, who did not check that I was actually entitled to enter the room, I could have been anyone! These points aside, I must say I enjoyed my stay (despite the lack of sleep) and found the location of the Hotel very convenient.

On reading the reviews before my stay, I too was very apprehensive about what I would find in this hotel. Unfortunately I was obliged to stay there as I was part of a block booking for a group attending a conference. I arrived on Easter Sunday, 27th March 2005 and left on Friday 1st April 2005. If I had arrived in Brighton without a hotel booking I would have passed by the Old Ship Hotel due to the grubbiness of the front entrance... an indication of what was to come inside. At first glance all seemed well, but on closer inspection everything lacked the care and attention to detail that one would expect from an hotel of four star standard. For example, the carpet in the corridor outside my bedroom was not cleaned once during my stay... the same bits and pieces were still on it after five days. My single room was adequate and there was nothing which warranted a complaint although the window looked as though it had not been cleaned for a very long time. It was so dirty on the outside that I could hardly see out through it. However, the worst was yet to come. I had arrived with a very sore throat and a racking cough and as a result was in the bedroom, on Easter Monday, later in the day than I would normally have been. I told the chambermaid to go ahead even though I was in the room. I noticed the cup which I had used was carried into the bathroom and later replaced as clean on the tray. On approaching a supervisor about this I was told it was normal practice to rinse out cups in the bathrooms. She offered to replace the cup with a clean one each day if I didn't like this practice. The following day I was again in the room when the cleaning staff arrived. my cup was again carried into the bathroom but this time I had positioned myself so that I could see into the bathroon via the bedroom mirror. The cup was washed out with a sponge taken out of a cleaning bucket. This sponge was then thrown out on to the floor. The cup was dried on the hand towel (which was dirty when it was brought to my room from the room across the corridor. I didn't have an opportunity to complain abut this before it was used as a tea towel!). The same hand towel was used to wipe the bathroom floor and then used to wipe the INSIDE OF THE TOILET BOWL. Unless those towels are disinfected or boiled they are a breeding ground for the worst kind of germs. The supervisor was again informed of what had happened and was most apologetic BUT no attempt was made to take my cup away for proper washing. There it remained, sore throat germs, dirty towel germs and all for the next unlucky occupant of the room. I invested in some polystyrene cups which I used for the remainder of my stay. It was no surprise that I arrived home with an upset stomach and diahorrea.

having seen some of the comments on here during the run up to our stay, we were extremley worried about just what kind of hotel we would be staying in. can only say that we had a lovely weekend at the hotel. OK, its not the Dorchester, but i cant say that we encountered any of the problems that previous guests on here seemed to. we booked a sea view, and a sea view we got, room wasn't massive but it was clean and the bathroom was also spotless. my ONLY complaint, and i really must stress that it didn't hinder our stay at all is that, yes, the windows could of done with a clean and the wallpaper in the room had seen better days, but other than that we had no problems with the room. i found that the hotel staff were extremley helpful and constantly saw/heard cleaners in our coridor. the breakfast was great, a selection of pastries, fresh fruit, fresh yoghuts and of course a hot buffet providing a full english brekkie. the restuarant staff greeted you immediatly and offered toasts and coffee/tea etc. the main bonus of this hotel is where it is situated, right on the doorstep of the lanes and perfect a central stay. i was really worried about our stay here after reading other reviews, can only say, unless you are used to staying in 5* delux properties then this hotel is ideal for a stay in brighton.

We stayed here on Easter Sunday. The room was a disgrace! It looked like the decor hadn't been changed since the early 1970's. The bathroom was really dirty. The only good thing, is the positioning of the hotel.

Stayed at the Od Ship again this February (have probably stayed there every year for the last 10 years). Although the reception and bar areas were refurbished nicely a couple of years ago, no further investment seems to have taken place. The room we had this time was very disappointing. It was supposedly a non-smoking room, but reeked of previous smokers. The decor and furniture appeared jaded and ready for a complete overhaul. As the hotel was practically full and they'd already mistakenly given our booked room to someone else in confusion, the chance of another room was nil. Sadly the serve-yourself breakfast was also a big disappointment on both days of our stay. Many of the items on the hot buffet were missing, or if present, unappetising. The restaurant seemed to be badly understaffed, and the poor people trying to cope front of house were doing their best, but were unable to try and do all the tasks asked of them. Although I have recommended this hotel to friends in the past I would suggest you look elsewhere for the time being.