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Britannia Hotels has been rated the worst hotel chain in the UK for the seventh year running, according to an annual customer survey.
Guests repeatedly described Britannia’s rooms as “filthy”, with the budget chain receiving a string of one-star ratings in almost every category.
The chain, which has 61 hotels across the UK, scored just 39 percent in the annual customer satisfaction poll by consumer group Which?, slightly more than the 35 per cent it scored last year.
EasyHotel and Ibis Budget also performed badly in the survey, with the chains scoring 58 percent and 60 percent respectively to round out the bottom three.
At the other end of the scale, Wetherspoon Hotels made it to the top of the rankings for the first time – sharing first place with Premier Inn, which has come first for the last four years.
More than 8,000 guests of 40 hotel chains were asked to rate everything from bed comfort to value for money, as well as the quality of food and overall cleanliness, in the survey.
Britannia scored its one-star ratings in categories including value for money and food and drink, with the poll finding guests were 10 times more likely to rate Britannia poorly for its cleanliness than across almost all the other hotel chains.
When an investigator from Which? checked into the Britannia Lodge at Gatwick Airport, which costs £39 a night, they said they found “damp smells” from a clogged ventilation fan and a “grubby bathtub”.
An ultraviolet light also showed up stains that could not be seen with the naked eye, on both the bed sheets and the walls surrounding the toilet.
EasyHotel came second bottom in the survey scoring just 58 percent, and while it avoided any one-star ratings it was considered “mediocre” in most categories with two stars in some areas.
When Which? visited one of the budget chain’s sites in London’s Old Street the researcher found it had ‘all the charm of a hospital ward’.
Ibis Budget was only slightly better rated, with a customer score of 60 percent. While it scored three stars for customer service, value for money and cleanliness it was let down by the quality of its rooms and its food offering.
But at the top of the survey Wetherspoon Hotel was lauded for its ‘huge stylish rooms,’ earning it a full five stars in the bedroom quality category – and a 79 percent customer score overall.
Prices at the chain start as low as £39 for a one-night stay and £5 extra for breakfast, making it most likely of the chains to be rated excellent for value for money. However, it received three stars for cleanliness.
The Whitbread-owned Premier Inn chain also scored 79 percent, with guests praising its reliability, cleanliness, comfort and affordability.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: “There really is no excuse for the grubby bathtubs and filthy rooms that we have seen year after year with Britannia so it is best to avoid them completely and go almost anywhere else.”
However, EasyHotel have hit back at their rating, slamming Which? for their review process and saying their hotels “represent style, comfort,value and affordable city centre access”
Chief executive Guy Parsons told the Standard: “It’s interesting that Which? are issuing this report a week after we took them to task for fake news in reviewing an easyHotel that no longer exists. easyHotel Old Street was closed for refurbishment for much of the last year and has only recently reopened.
” They also admit in the same feature that their favourable review of another hotel chain didn’t even require a visit. This is hardly a fair or ethical comparison.”
“Which? used to have a reputation for being impartial and as a genuine source of advice and guidance. Year after year they rehash criticisms of our hotel that has changed beyond all recognition.
“Perhaps this is because they ask the same people the same questions over and over again. On many occasions, we have invited Which? to visit and inspect our new hotels and these requests fall on deaf ears.
“We are hugely proud of the amazing service that we provide night after night after night.”
Britannia Hotels declined to comment.
Top performing hotels
- Premier Inn – 79%
- Whetherspoon hotels – 79%
- Hilton Garden Inn – 78%
- Radisson Blu Edwardian – 77%
- Hilton Hampton – 74%
Worst performing hotels
- Britannia Hotels – 39%
- EasyHotel – 58%
- Ibis Budget – 60%
- Mercure – 62%
- Copthorne – 63%
