Ben Cuthbert, owner of The Harbour Inn, opened his restaurant for those who evacuated.
“I got a call in the middle of the night and I was told there was a big fire at the hotel,” he said.
Cuthbert added that there were many people who did not know where to go or what to do.
“Some people left their room only in their night gowns and had nothing else with them,” he said.
“A lot of people were scared, we helped comfort them by giving them a place to rest.”
Cuthbert also offered space for paramedics to treat people.
Kent Police said that officers were called to the hotel at about 01:20 to “assist traffic flow” while firefighters tackled the blaze.
Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran paid tribute to emergency services on X, saying firefighters responded “rapidly, professionally and with saving lives at the forefront of their minds”.
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