Chain hotels lack style, says guide

Chain hotels are criticised for their lack of individual style in the Good Hotel Guide 2000 while rival hotel guidebooks come under fire for their lack of criticisms.

The latest edition of the Good Hotel Guide features more than 700 hotels, but only two belong to chains.

Caroline Raphael, joint editor, said: "We like the personal touch. Chain hotels tend to have so many rooms we don't feel they can give a personal touch. A lot of chain hotels also don't have individual decor."

She added: "Sometimes the staff in chain hotels are marvellous, but because they are not motivated in the same way as a person who is running their own hotel, people do get mixed experiences."

The Good Hotel Guide takes no advertising, no hospitality and no payment of any kind.

The guide says: "In many hotel bedrooms you will find lavishly illustrated publications masquerading as independent guides. Only when you read the small print do you find an acknowledgement that hotels pay a ‘contribution' or a ‘registration fee' to be included.

"The glossy Johansens guides, for example, charge hotels up to £2,500 for an entry. Not surprisingly, you will not find a word of criticism."

Raphael added: "If we accepted payments, we would be obligated to the hotels and we would have to think twice about what we write."

Andrew Warren, managing director of Johansens, said: "We don't recommend properties that we have any reason to criticise.

"We do say when a hotel is near a motorway or airport and we leave it to the reader to decide whether it is acceptable or not."

by Louise Bozec