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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Neil Lancefield

Premier Inn overtaken by Wetherspoons in hotel rankings after guest complaints

Premier Inn’s customers have complained of slipping standards - (PA Archive)

JD Wetherspoon has surpassed Premier Inn in a Which? ranking, with its more than 50 pub-attached hotels contributing to a 76% customer score.

Averaging £70 per night, the chain earned four stars for value for money and most other categories.

Premier Inn also lost its status as a Which? Recommended Provider, with some guests telling the consumer group that the chain was no longer good value, and its standards were slipping.

Survey respondents paid an average of £94 per night, resulting in a value for money rating of three stars, with an overall customer score of 73%.

Britannia Hotels, which uses some rooms for asylum seekers, was rated the UK’s worst for a twelfth consecutive year.

Ranked last out of 52 large chains, it scored just one star out of five for cleanliness and bathrooms. This led to an overall customer score of 44%, despite an average £84 nightly rate.

One customer at the company’s Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone, Kent, described the property as a “total dive”, while another said they left after the first night of a three-night booking because of poor service, room and food.

Police outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)

The analysis of large and small hotel chains was based on a survey of 4,631 and 1,776 Which? members respectively, and members of the public, across June and July.

Britannia’s International Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, is solely being used to house migrants, while the company has rented rooms out to the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers at other hotels for several years.

Anti-illegal migration protests and counter-demonstrations have been held outside the Canary Wharf property.

Coaching Inn Group, with 35 inn-style hotels often in beauty spots or market towns, topped the ranking for large chains, with a score of 81%.

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: “A night away should be a real treat but with hotel prices climbing, finding a hotel chain that consistently offers comfort, good customer service and a charming location at a fair price has become harder.

“The good news is we’ve found that whether you’re after a boutique stay in the Brecon Beacons or a budget break in Broughty Ferry, travellers can still get a great experience at the right price by staying with better brands.”

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