'Like something out of the sixties': Britannia named UK's worst hotel chain for 11th year

Britannia Hotels has been named the UK’s worst hotel chain by Which? For the 11th year in a row.

The group once again ranked last in the consumer champion’s annual survey of 5,000 people, who rated their experiences at 28 large and nine small hotel chains around the country.

Guests scored their stays out of five stars across 10 categories including cleanliness, customer service, bed comfort, how well description matched reality and value for money.

An overall score was calculated combining overall customer satisfaction and likeliness to recommend the hotel.

Britannia was the lowest ranked chain with a rating of just 48%. It scored just one star for its bedrooms, bathrooms, and quality of the WiFi, and no higher than two stars in any other category, including cleanliness.

One respondent said the hotel was "awful… so filthy that we cleaned the whole accommodation ourselves".

Another described their stay as "like something out of the sixties", while another said they would "never stay in a Britannia again".

Travelodge and Mercure both received joint scores of 56% with a mixed reception from guests over value for money and their bedroom and bathroom offer.

At the top end of the scale, Hotel Indigo, owned by InterContinental Hotels Group, and Premier Inn’s spin-off brand, Hub by Premier Inn, tied for first place with a joint score of 77%.

Hotel Indigo was praised for its ‘stylish’ boutique offering, with many of its 18 UK hotels housed in historic buildings. Customers enjoyed the chain’s ‘unusual’ and ‘quirky’ décor, and it scored a clutch of five and four-star ratings – dropping to three stars only on value for money.

Hub by Premier Inn scored higher than its parent brand Premier Inn, which came in second place with a 75% rating.

The Hub brand, which is currently only found in Edinburgh and London, was praised for its convenient locations and ‘efficient’ and ‘well designed’ compact rooms.

It scored a full five stars for cleanliness, bed comfort and the description matching the reality, and scored four stars for its bedrooms, bathrooms, customer service, and communal areas and décor.

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon came in third place, with a customer score of 73% and rooms costing just £84 a night on average.

Which? said it was increasingly difficult to find a UK hotel room for under £100 a night, with prices rising an average of 13% this year.

Just over three quarters of hotel chains (78%) in the consumer champion’s survey were reported as costing well over £100 a night for a room on average – including some of the most poorly rated.

“With prices at many hotels rising further this year, finding good value, budget accommodation is increasingly difficult,” said Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel.

“For those looking for a reasonably priced stay, there are big differences between the best and worst chains, with the likes of Premier Inn and Wetherspoons distinguishing themselves from the pack.”

Britannia and Mercure did not respond to the Which? survey.

Travelodge said it welcomed over 21m guests to its hotels in 2022 and was investing £45m in updating its properties this year.

“We take our guest feedback very seriously and are sorry to hear that the Which? reviewers did not receive our normal high-quality service,” a Travelodge spokesperson said.