It was a BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary that made the Britannia hotel chain name famous overnight - but the chain’s fall from grace continues as it has been shamed as worst place in the UK to spend a night.
Despite being able to list political heavyweights such as former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Franklin D Roosevelt and showbiz legend Frank Sinatra as one time guests, it is the ninth time in a row the brand has come last.
A survey of 2,371 hotel guests over 15 months to October 2021 by consumer watchdog Which? put it at the foot of a league table of 24 large hotel chains with a score of just 49 out of 100.
Guests complained of dirty rooms with rundown accommodation in need of a makeover.
One unimpressed customer said: “It was terrible. The room was dirty. The bathroom was dirty. The carpet was terrible - stains everywhere.”
More than half of those who stayed at one of the group’s 61 properties said they hit a problem during their visit.
One fed-up guest said the rooms in their hotel were “small and basic” with no soap or shampoo and “bags of rubbish outside the main entrance”.
Overall, it was awarded just two out of five stars for cleanliness, one for its bathrooms, two for customer service, two for value for money and three for its beds.
The consumer champion’s scathing verdict was: “A string of two-star ratings, for cleanliness among other things, as well as horrible, one-star bathrooms, shows it has a long way to go.
“Stay elsewhere. Anywhere else.”
And with rooms costing an average of £99 a night it was found to be 50% dearer than the winner, budget hotel chain Premier Inn.
It was awarded 79 out of 100 and got five stars for cleanliness, five for comfy beds and four for its bathrooms, customer service and value for money.
At £66 a night Which? gave it a coveted “recommended provider” stamp.
Guests said they found Premier Inn “consistent” and “reliable” for a stay.
Which? said while the chain’s “trademark purple decor is more functional than romantic getaway, its extra cosy king-size beds with choice of pillow - firm or soft - earn it five stars for bed comfort”.
Wetherspoon Hotels where rooms cost £84 a night, made the top five with 74 along with Crowne Plaza, Sofitel and Radisson Blu.
The cheapest rooms costing an average of £64 night were at Travelodge which came 17th with a score of 64.
It was awarded four stars for customer service and beds and three for cleanliness and value for money.
And it was one place above the more expensive Marriott which cost £122 a night and scored 63.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Year after year, guests are let down by Britannia’s run-down hotels and often dirty rooms. This year saw some slight improvements to the chain’s score - but not enough to drag it off the bottom of our rankings.
“Until the company ups its game further we would urge guests to look elsewhere. The impressive, budget-friendly Premier Inn is our pick of the large chains.”
Britannia Hotels - which saw its Adelphi, Liverpool property rocket to fame after the BBC ’s 1997 documentary - declined to comment.
Mercure where rooms cost an average of £114 came second from bottom and scored just 52 as guests felt standards had slipped.
It was awarded two stars for cleanliness, rooms and value for money but got four for its beds.
A Mercure spokesperson said: “We are surprised to see our position in this survey, it does not reflect the high standard of guest experience which we strive for and we will take action to address these comments.
“The experience and wellbeing of our guests at each and every property is our highest priority.”
Hotel ratings (marks out of 100)
- Premier Inn - 79
- Crowne Plaza - 78
- Sofitel - 77
- Radisson Blu - 74
- Wetherspoon Hotels - 74
- Hilton - 70
- Holiday Inn - 69
- Old English Inns/Hotels - 69
- Ibis - 68
- Novotel - 68
- Village Hotel Club - 68
- Hilton Hampton - 67
- Holiday Inn Express - 67
- Copthorne - 66
- Hilton Doubletree - 66
- Days Inn/Days Hotel - 64
- Travelodge -64
- Marriott - 63
- Best Western - 62
- Jurys Inn - 62
- Ibis Budget - 60
- Macdonald - 59
- Mercure - 52
- Britannia - 49
