Britannia Hotels is 'the worst chain in UK', satisfaction survey finds

The Which UK hotel satisfaction survey was based on 5,888 experiences

John Cleese as Basil Fawlty, whose hotel is a byword for poor service (BBC)

With “rundown” hotels that are “well past their best-by-dates”, Britannia Hotels’ accommodation is said to be more Fawlty Towers than first class.

Now, the hotel group, used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers, has been rated the worst hotel chain in the UK for the second year in a row by the consumers’ association magazine Which?

Ranked last out of 29 chains, Britannia Hotels was awarded just one star – the lowest possible rating – for categories including bedrooms, cleanliness and whether the description of the hotel matched reality.

The Which UK hotel satisfaction survey, based on 5,888 member-experiences, ranked each chain according to an overall customer score based on categories such as customer service, food and value for money. Britannia Hotels, which fared poorly in all categories, achieved 33 per cent for its overall score – 3 per cent lower than in 2013, when it was also bottom of the poll.

The Britannia group, owned by businessman Alex Langsam, has previously acknowledged its problems and plans to “improve the standard” of its hotels, which include the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, Bosworth Hall Hotel in Warwickshire, The Grand in Scarborough, the Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton and the Russ Hill Hotel in Surrey.

The Roundhouse Hotel and Heathlands Hotel in Bournemouth and The Grand Burstin Hotel in Kent have been used by the Home Office to temporarily house more than 280 asylum seekers this year due to “overcrowding” at London’s detention centres. The group was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Premier Inn and Travelodge are the most used chains according to the survey, together accounting for more than half of all hotel stays. Premier Inn, visited by 668 members, gained four stars across the board, and an 81 per cent customer satisfaction score. The UK’s largest hotel brand came second only to Sofitel, which was awarded five stars in nearly every category and an 83 per cent customer rating.

Travelodge achieved a 60 per cent overall customer score, improving by 10 per cent since last year. The chain was placed in the bottom three in both 2012 and 2013, but has since invested £57m.