I've used a number of the Etap (now Ibis Budget) hotels in and around Calais over the years for exactly that reason - fall off the ferry and fall into bed. They're usually manned until about 9.00pm with an automatic credit card entry system after that and we've rolled in at 1.00am without any problems. We usually try to do a few miles after the ferry to settle things down so St Omer and one of the Lille Etaps have been our usual destinations.
The (possible) down side depends on how well your group of seven get on, because a lot of the rooms are designed for mum, dad and child - a double bed and a single bunk bed over the top. Cheap for one room - mum, dad, one child in the bunk bed and one on the floor (when the kids were younger!), but if you need seven you might need to book well ahead at certain times in the summer.
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