Britannia ranked the UK’s worst hotel chain for the eighth year in a row, after guests described their accommodations as “dirty”.
It was the only company to receive just one out of five stars for hygiene after a consumer group survey of more than 4,000 people.
Despite being one of the cheapest UK chains, with rooms averaging £ 58 a night, guests still give Britannia only 1 star for value for money.
One customer described a place in Britannia as a “dirty hut,” while another claimed it was “by far the dirtiest hotel room I have ever stayed in”.
When is any? Visited Folkestone Britannia, also known as Grand Burstin, as part of a separate investigation into hotel cleanliness, and found stray bristles and stained towels.
Other tests indicated that the surfaces were not cleaned well between stays.
Britannia, whose group includes the Hotel Adelphi in Liverpool and the Grand Hotel Scarborough, has a score of 37% of customers, placing it last.
“We are fully committed to providing a safe environment for visitors. We have so far spent around £ 2 million on COVID-19 precautions, but we accept that there is more to do,” the chain said in a statement.
Mercure posted the second lowest overall score at 60%, with Days Inn Hotels at 62%.
At the other end of the scale in terms of performance and price was the Sofitel.
The luxury hotel chain with three London properties – Heathrow, Gatwick and St. James – scored 86%.
But this was narrowly ahead of the Premier Inn (82%), which was praised by guests for offering reliable quality at an affordable price.
Rory Bolland, editor of Which? The travel company said: “It seems that even a global pandemic cannot force Britain to clean up its business.
“At best, it’s bland and old, and at worst it’s completely dirty – and after eight years at the bottom of our poll, our message is loud and clear: Avoid these hotels.”
Top five major hotel chains according to Which? (Customer points in parentheses):
1. Sofitel (86%)
2. Premier Inn (82%)
3. Holiday Inn Express (77%)
4. Hilton Hampton (76%)
5. Crowne Plaza (75%)
The five worst big hotel chains according to Which? (Customer points in parentheses):
1. Britannia (37%)
2- Mercure (60%)
3. Days Inn Hotels (62%)
4. Old English Inn (65%)
5- ibis budget (66%)
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