The Old Ship Hotel

Large hotel situated on the seafront in Brighton. This leads to a few problems as it was a tad on the noisy side. Even though we had a room to the back of the hotel, it was also on the side street opposite the Thistle hotel and in the early hours of the morning I could hear a rowdy bunch heading there way back home (and my room was on the 5^th floor. There were some other noises that kept waking me up too, I could never work out exactly what the loud vibration noise was that sounded like it was coming from outside. They obviously know there are issues as they even put earplugs in the bedside drawer.
The hotel was a bit worn and faded and all the pictures in the corridor on our floor were faded and the trimming had come away, the showers weren’t very powerful and the internet within our room was non existent and like others have commented the speed was slow.
The room I had had no fan or air conditioning so in the height of summer I can see it being very warm. They still were pumping out heat into the corridors whilst we were there and it was 20 degrees during the day.
This isn’t the cheapest hotel and breakfast isn’t included, it’s an additional £10 per person. So we went outside where there are plenty of cheaper options. Luckily I got this on a good deal and didn’t really pay a lot for my room, but I don’t think I would go back and definitely wouldn’t pay full price.

Decided to take the other half to brighton, previously stayed at the grand do had a lot to live up to. But for a change chose here looked nice on the internet & trip advisor etc.
I was not wrong had a great room rate and the the availability was good too. When I arrives I was really impressed the style of the hotel is very regency as you would expect for this area. Very tastefully decorated and it looked very nice. Reception staff were very welcoming and our car was also parked for us. (£23 per night) our room was lovely and the bed was really comfy and spacious. Everywhere was clean and well kept. I will definitely be returning. I would highly advise you book if your thinking I’d going to brighton, Central to everything.

As the weather was great, I decided to make the trip down to Brighton. Almost all the hotels were booked, and those that weren’t, were easily over £250 night, including the Old Ship. Luckily I found a last minute same day rate via HotelTonight for £115 at the Old Ship.
I can’t complain too much as my rate was cheap, but I could never imagine anyone paying £275 (the rate on expedia) for the Old Ship. It’s a definite 2-​star establishment badly in need of refurbishment. The hotel website and signage claims 4-​stars but that is only because they offer an on-​site bar/​restaurant with room service or else they made up that rating themselves.
The carpets were quite soiled both in the hallways and the room. The water pressure in the small stall shower was ok, but the shower head was damaged and it leaked everywhere. My room was reasonably quiet and cool despite no air conditioning (it had a operable window and a ceiling fan) and rather high (27C) day-​time temps! The hotel is rather large, with an odd layout, expect to take a small dirty lift up to your floor and then navigate up and down steps, opening countless fire doors along the way. The halls were grotty and need to be cleaned if not completely redone.
Location is quite good, a stone’s throw from the Brighton Pier and easy access to the beach and all the restaurants and shops of the coastal city. Some of the rooms should have pretty spectacular views.
Wifi was free but capped at 516K speeds — basically dial-​up speeds. This is 2013, not 1998, seriously Old Ship, upgrade your infrastructure to the times.
I do not recommend the Old Ship until it is majorly redone… it’s shocking that they try to charge £275 for this place!

Vile hotel. Mouldy windows, rotting wood, wallpaper peeling, paint flaking and generally utterly worn out. The staff were apologetic but helpless. This site utterly lets down the Barcelo brand.
Avoid for the sake of your health. There are a dozen better hotels within a two minute walk.

I’ve not got a lot of love for the Old Ship. As far as I’m concerned my room would have been better named the Cold Ship. It was freezing in there. And by freezing I mean sleep-​with-​your-​head-​under-​the-​covers-​so-​your-​breath– can-​keep-​you-​warm kind of freezing. Yeah, seriously, that cold!
The shower pressure was divine but the FIFTEEN POUND charge for 24 hours of the internets (yes, the internets) was definitely not. Oh and did I mention these internets were sluggish and only available by plugging in at the desk?
Old Ship Hotel, it’s not me, it’s you.

The Old Ship Hotel is a lovely and quaint place to lay your head for the night. The seaside views and central location make it a perfect hub for exploring Brighton’s best.
I felt particularly grateful for the beachfront site when the weather wasn’t in my favour, the skies began to fall and saving the camera became paramount.
My third floor room was cosy but had all the necessary amenities. Worth a mention was the high-​powered and newly refurbished shower, completely divine. The winding staircases got me turned around a few times on the way to my room but are reminiscent of a ships hull and add to the ambiance.
The breakfast buffet was lovely and regularly replenished. The staff made especially sure that we enjoyed our meals and served good coffee at a rapid pace.
All in all the Old Ship Hotel was more wonderful than wind-​swept and would be high on my list when booking the next Brighton voyage.

Chavs, this is a polite note:
At 3am, at 4am and even at 5am it is unacceptable to rip your shirt off and shout abuse to you chav friends. I emphasize this, UNACCEPTABLE outside my hotel window 2 nights in a row.
Seriously this place could be so lovely yet the night life of Brighton spoilt it for me. :O (

This hotel has a classic style that befits the early 20^th century. Directly facing the sea, even on a business trip you are transported into a seaside holiday mindset. I had a bedroom on the 3^rd floor that was small but well equipped and clean.
The breakfast options were continental and full English. I ate plenty and the food was of a good quality. The multi-​directional staircases that wind around themselves and the hidden walkways that pop up from nowhere make getting to your room an adventure in itself.
The Old Ship has an excellent location as a base for exploring Brighton, and I would recommend it as a good basic standard hotel.

Very good location, decent rooms and lovely, talkative staff!

We stopped here last year for one night and promised we would return. We were not disappointed the Hotel is ideally situated for most areas within Brighton, the Pier, The Lanes and central shopping areas as well as the Brighton Pavilion.
The hotel itself is apparently Brighton’s oldest and is friendly comfortable and clean and the staff are pleasant and helpful.
The room we had was pleasant and the only complaint if I had to give one would be the noise outside from late night revelers in the early hours of the morning but it didn’t spoil our experience.
We didn’t eat here because I had booked at Gingerman at the Dukes (Which I would also recommend) but if the breakfast was anything to go by I wouldn’t be put off although there are plenty of places around to fit all budgets.
It is the only hotel I’ve stopped in while visiting Brighton but going on my last two visits it seems pointless trying to find anywhere else.