Britannia ranked UK’s worst hotel chain for 10th consecutive year

Britannia has been ranked the UK’s worst hotel chain for the 10th consecutive year.

The company’s hotels rated just two stars out of five for categories such as cleanliness, bed comfort and value for money in the annual survey by consumer group Which?

It received an overall customer satisfaction score of just 56%.

Britannia has 61 hotels across Britain, with those in Scotland including the Britannia Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the Waterside in Peterhead and the Coylumbridge Aviemore Hotel.

Guests described the surroundings as “tired and tatty”, with a “rough and ready” feel.

The joint second worst hotel chains were Mercure and Jurys Inn/Leonardo, which both scored 58%.

The ranking was topped by Premier Inn, with 78%.

Respondents to the survey paid an average of £89 per night for a Premier Inn stay, compared with £119 at a Britannia hotel.

The ranking of 35 chains is based on almost 4,500 hotel stays by nearly 4,500 consumers in the 12 months to August.

The average cost of UK hotels has increased by 21% in the past 12 months, according to the research.

Guy Hobbs, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: “With a decade of dismal reviews cementing its place as one of the UK’s worst hotel chains, our results suggest that Britannia should be avoided at all costs.

“With the average price of a UK hotel stay now costing a fifth more than it did last year, travellers want to be sure they are getting the best possible experience for their money.

“Our results show that price isn’t necessarily an indicator of quality, and many respondents reported fantastic stays with brands including Premier Inn and smaller chains like Warner Hotels.”

Britannia did not respond to a request for comment.

Jurys Inn said it received “high satisfaction scores” from more than 213,000 guest reviews so far this year.

Mercure said the Which? survey “does not reflect the standard of guest experience which we strive for”.

Britannia's Waterside Hotel in Peterhead (Google)

The news comes after BusinessLive reported how almost 1,000 jobs were cut by Britannia Hotels as it lost nearly £10m and its turnover slumped by more than £80m during its latest financial year.

According to documents with Companies House, the business posted a pre-tax loss of £9.5m for the 12 months to 31 March 2021, compared to a profit of £13.7m in the prior year.

Its turnover also fell from £120.4m to £38.3m over the same period.

The documents also showed the number of employees was cut from 2,740 to 1,765 during the 12-month period, with office and management staff reducing by 62 and direct workers falling by 913.

A list of all Britannia's hotels:

• Waterside Hotel Peterhead
• Britannia Aberdeen Hotel
• Coylumbridge Aviemore Hotel

• Britannia Edinburgh Hotel

• Adamton Country House

• Britannia Hotel Newcastle Airport

• Grand Hotel Gosforth Park

• Grand Hotel Sunderland

• Clifton Hotel Scarborough

• Royal Hotel Scarborough

• Grand Hotel Scarborough

• Britannia Leeds Bradford Airport Hotel

• Hollins Hall Hotel, Golf & Country Club

• Norbreck Castle Hotel Blackpool

• Savoy Hotel Blackpool

• Grand Hotel Blackpool

• Britannia Hotel Leeds

• Metropole Hotel

• Royal Hotel Hull

• Scarisbrick Hotel Southport

• Royal Clifton Hotel

• Prince of Wales Hotel Southport

• Britannia Wigan Hotel

• Britannia Bolton Hotel

• Sachas Hotel Manchester

• Britannia Hotel Manchester

• Britannia Country House Hotel

• Britannia Airport Hotel Manchester

• Adelphi Hotel

• Britannia Hotel Stockport

• The Ashley Hotel

• Airport Inn Manchester Hotel & Spa

• Daresbury Park Hotel & Spa

• Grand Hotel Llandudno

• Palace Hotel Buxton

• North Stafford Hotel

• Britannia Nottingham Hotel

• Sprowston Manor Hotel, Golf & Country Club

• Bosworth Hall Hotel & Spa

• Britannia Hotel Wolverhampton

• Britannia Hotel Birmingham

• Royal Court Hotel Coventry

• Britannia Coventry Hill Hotel

• Britannia Hotel Coventry

• Bromsgrove Hotel & Spa

• Britannia Hampstead Hotel

• International Hotel

• Basingstoke Country Hotel

• Airport Inn Gatwick

• Russ Hill Hotel Gatwick

• Europa Gatwick Hotel

• Gatwick Lodge

• Grand Burstin Hotel Folkestone

• Meon Valley Hotel, Golf & Country Club

• Royal Albion Hotel Brighton

• The Cavendish Hotel

• Carrington House Hotel Bournemouth

• Roundhouse Hotel Bournemouth

• Britannia Hotel Bournemouth

• Healthlands Hotel Bournemouth

• Royal Bath Hotel Bournemouth

• Trecarn Hotel Torquay

Don't miss the latest headlines with our twice-daily newsletter - sign up here for free.