Leading article: Rooms without service

There is no room for complacency in any business, least of all one that operates in tourism, perhaps the most global marketplace of all. But it has been apparent for some years that hotels in Britain offer questionable value for money. Now we have confirmation: according to the website Hotels.com, UK prices are the highest in Europe. The average price for a room in a British hotel last year was £98 per night. And the situation is getting worse. The price of a room in London rose 22 per cent last year. There were also substantial increases in other cities.

These prices would perhaps be acceptable if British hotels also offered the best quality in Europe. Sadly, this is far from true. The decor is all too often cheap and chintzy. The food inedible and overpriced. And the service can make Fawlty Towers look like a pleasing alternative. There are fine exceptions, of course, but too few of them. As the internet transfers power to consumers, it is to be hoped this forces poorer establishments to improve their standards or be driven out of business.

Related articles

• The hotel industry: Room service? It will cost you...
• Search the news archive for more stories

For too many managers, the mentality seems to be to gouge as much money out of customers, whatever the long-term ramifications. On the day of the London bombings, 11 July 2005, thousands found themselves stranded in the capital as transport networks were shut down. The response of many hotels was to double their prices to exploit a captive market. This was not only shameful behaviour, but was hardly the best way to build customer loyalty.

When London was chosen as the venue for the 2012 Olympics two years ago, Bob Cotton, the head of the British Hospitality Association claimed that one of the key factors in the successful bid was the capital's ability to provide "hotel rooms of all grades, at the right price". These words have a rather hollow ring about them in retrospect. We are familiar with complaints from the tourism industry about the strong pound, the disaster of foot and mouth, widespread ignorance of the UK's natural beauty and historic treasures. All of this is true. But they must also look to their own deficiencies, especially at a time when, for environmental reasons, there is increasing desire to stay at home and taste the delights of our native heritage. The harsh fact is that the majority of hotels in this country are overpriced and low quality.

This cannot go on. As the world grows richer, global tourism becomes more competitive. Unless Britain can compete, people will begin to stay away. This would be very bad news for Britain. Tourism is worth about £85bn to the economy each year and employs 7 per cent of the workforce. It is time that British hotels began treating their customers as valued guests, rather than sheep to be fleeced.