The Ocean Hotel
History
The Ocean Hotel was a jewel of the Isle of Wight’s tourism boom in the early 20th century. Originally built in the late 1800s, the hotel catered to Britain’s growing love for coastal holidays, offering stunning sea views and luxurious accommodations. Over the decades, it welcomed waves of tourists, evolving with the times as package holidays and domestic travel flourished. However, as the rise of budget air travel in the late 20th century drew tourists abroad, the hotel’s fortunes began to wane, leading to gradual decline. By the early 2000s, The Ocean Hotel struggled to compete with modern resorts and eventually closed its doors in 2015.
Then, in October 2023, the hotel was met with a fire that resulted in a devastating blaze that tore through the derelict structure, sending thick smoke billowing over Sandown. Fire crews battled the flames, but large sections of the historic building were reduced to a charred shell.
Construction: Built in the late 19th century, The Ocean Hotel was designed as a grand Victorian seaside retreat, offering luxury accommodation for tourists visiting Sandown.
Ownership: The hotel was once operated by a well-known chain but later fell into private hands as the tourism industry changed, making it harder to compete with modern resorts.
Closure: In 2015, the hotel shut down permanently due to declining visitor numbers and rising maintenance costs, leaving the once-popular destination abandoned.
Size: The hotel was a large complex with over 100 rooms, a ballroom, and a restaurant, once catering to hundreds of guests at its peak.
Fire Damage: On October 8, 2023, a major fire tore through the derelict building, destroying large sections and leaving the structure in ruins.
Arson Suspicions: Given the hotel’s history of vandalism, authorities suspected the fire was started deliberately, though the exact cause remains unconfirmed.
The Explore
After deciding to do a trip to the isle of wight one random November night, we didn't have much on the agenda as it was such a last minute decision. We booked a hotel and took the ferry, arriving at dusk and making our way across the island to the town of Sandown where we were staying the night. Having seen this place on the internet whilst on our way there I didn't really think much of it as we were there for the military explores and it didn't interest me much. We arrived to the our hotel for the night, dropped our bags, and went for a Chinese. We soon noticed that literally next door to our hotel was a massive abandoned building with a sign saying "THE OCEAN HOTEL" in big capital letters above the front doors. With it being much larger and unbelievably close to us we decided we had to go. That night we devised a plan over our Chinese to go back to the room, then getting ready and exploring the hotel. After telling the receptionist that we were going for a walk along the beach in our dark clothes and backpacks, we made our way down the road. After a tough climb up to one of the first floor balconies aided by a pallet step ladder, we found ourselves inside.
First met with a gaping hole in the floor boards due to fire damage and then making our way down a dodgy set of stairs to the ground floor. It was evident that this place had been littered with squatters and unfortunately arsonists over the years. It was a complete contrast, some sections were destroyed and in ruins while others were perfectly preserved. Walking the endless corridors, boiler rooms, large open receptions and a section that was a complete newbuild made this explore quite interesting. We were constantly cautious of where we were stepping but made it to some cool areas like the basement and the roof top before making our way back. Defiantly one of the most unexpected yet exiting explores we've done. I’d like to apologise as these photos arnt very good. Going back to find photos I swear we took more but couldn’t find much apart from videos. Ive taken a few screenshots so not happy with the quality:
REMENANTS OF THE ROOM WHERE THE FIRE WAS STARTED
TERRIBLE QUALITY BUT SHOWS THE FIRES POINT OF ORIGIN
THE FREEZER ALONG WITH A FOOD LIST
OTHER PARTS
THIS PICTURE SHOWS HOW EXPOSING SOME OF THE WINDOWS WERE
ROOF ACCESS
History
The Ocean Hotel was a jewel of the Isle of Wight’s tourism boom in the early 20th century. Originally built in the late 1800s, the hotel catered to Britain’s growing love for coastal holidays, offering stunning sea views and luxurious accommodations. Over the decades, it welcomed waves of tourists, evolving with the times as package holidays and domestic travel flourished. However, as the rise of budget air travel in the late 20th century drew tourists abroad, the hotel’s fortunes began to wane, leading to gradual decline. By the early 2000s, The Ocean Hotel struggled to compete with modern resorts and eventually closed its doors in 2015.
Then, in October 2023, the hotel was met with a fire that resulted in a devastating blaze that tore through the derelict structure, sending thick smoke billowing over Sandown. Fire crews battled the flames, but large sections of the historic building were reduced to a charred shell.
Construction: Built in the late 19th century, The Ocean Hotel was designed as a grand Victorian seaside retreat, offering luxury accommodation for tourists visiting Sandown.
Ownership: The hotel was once operated by a well-known chain but later fell into private hands as the tourism industry changed, making it harder to compete with modern resorts.
Closure: In 2015, the hotel shut down permanently due to declining visitor numbers and rising maintenance costs, leaving the once-popular destination abandoned.
Size: The hotel was a large complex with over 100 rooms, a ballroom, and a restaurant, once catering to hundreds of guests at its peak.
Fire Damage: On October 8, 2023, a major fire tore through the derelict building, destroying large sections and leaving the structure in ruins.
Arson Suspicions: Given the hotel’s history of vandalism, authorities suspected the fire was started deliberately, though the exact cause remains unconfirmed.
The Explore
After deciding to do a trip to the isle of wight one random November night, we didn't have much on the agenda as it was such a last minute decision. We booked a hotel and took the ferry, arriving at dusk and making our way across the island to the town of Sandown where we were staying the night. Having seen this place on the internet whilst on our way there I didn't really think much of it as we were there for the military explores and it didn't interest me much. We arrived to the our hotel for the night, dropped our bags, and went for a Chinese. We soon noticed that literally next door to our hotel was a massive abandoned building with a sign saying "THE OCEAN HOTEL" in big capital letters above the front doors. With it being much larger and unbelievably close to us we decided we had to go. That night we devised a plan over our Chinese to go back to the room, then getting ready and exploring the hotel. After telling the receptionist that we were going for a walk along the beach in our dark clothes and backpacks, we made our way down the road. After a tough climb up to one of the first floor balconies aided by a pallet step ladder, we found ourselves inside.
First met with a gaping hole in the floor boards due to fire damage and then making our way down a dodgy set of stairs to the ground floor. It was evident that this place had been littered with squatters and unfortunately arsonists over the years. It was a complete contrast, some sections were destroyed and in ruins while others were perfectly preserved. Walking the endless corridors, boiler rooms, large open receptions and a section that was a complete newbuild made this explore quite interesting. We were constantly cautious of where we were stepping but made it to some cool areas like the basement and the roof top before making our way back. Defiantly one of the most unexpected yet exiting explores we've done. I’d like to apologise as these photos arnt very good. Going back to find photos I swear we took more but couldn’t find much apart from videos. Ive taken a few screenshots so not happy with the quality:
REMENANTS OF THE ROOM WHERE THE FIRE WAS STARTED
TERRIBLE QUALITY BUT SHOWS THE FIRES POINT OF ORIGIN
THE FREEZER ALONG WITH A FOOD LIST
OTHER PARTS
THIS PICTURE SHOWS HOW EXPOSING SOME OF THE WINDOWS WERE
ROOF ACCESS
