Sometimes you don’t need much from a hotel, just somewhere basic and low-budget to call base camp. Still, a clean room, comfy mattress and decent wi-fi should be the bare minimum, right?
But that’s not always guaranteed. After surveying 5,000 people, Which’s annual ranking of British hotel chains has just been revealed – and a familiar name came bottom of the pile.
Britannia has been named the worst hotel chain in the UK for the eleventh (!!) year running. The chain, which operates 63 hotels across the country, had an overall customer score of 48 percent. It scored a dismal two out of five stars for categories including cleanliness, bed comfort, value for money and communal areas and a pitiful one star for bedrooms, bathrooms and wi-fi.
Despite owning some impressive Grade II-listed buildings, Britannia hasn’t been able to curb its reputation of being severely below-par. Customers who reviewed their experience at a Britannia Hotel on TrustPilot have reported deteriorating buildings, damp walls, rude staff, broken air-con and carpet stains.
After a stay at the Manchester site, one reviewer apparently recalled ‘food remains under the bed with thick dust, sticky coffee residue on bed side table, mirrors splattered with dirt, blood splatters on bathroom wall, pubic hair in bath, dirt around the sink, dirty coffee cups and teaspoons’. Oh dear.
Travelodge and Mercure didn’t fare much better in the survey, each landing a customer score of 56 percent. At the other end of the ranking, Hotel Indigo and Premier Inn-Hub came up trumps. Both earned customer scores of 77 percent, five out of five for cleanliness, four out of five for value for money and were awarded Which? Recommended Provider status.
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Luckily, there are loads of other options for accommodation out there. We’ve got a list of the best budget hotels in London, a roundup of the loveliest B&Bs in Cornwall, our favourite affordable accommodation in Edinburgh and cheap and cheerful places to stay in Manchester.
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