Britain’s best and worst hotel chains named in Which? poll

Photo: The Prince of Wales Hotel, Lord Street, Southport

Britannia owns Southport’s Prince of Wales, Scarisbrick Hotel and Pontins in Ainsdale.

The hotel chain which operates Southport’s most popular budged accommodation has been voted the worst hotel chain in the country.

Britannia Hotels, which runs the Prince of Wales, Pontins and Scarisbrick Hotel, come out bottom in a survey carried out by consumer watchdog Which?.

The chain also runs Pontins in Ainsdale.

The survey of Which? readers, published today, saw hotel firms judged in nine categories, including cleanliness, customer service, food, and value for money.

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Sofitel, the luxury arm of Novotel and the costliest chain to feature in the poll – with rooms prices at £144 a night, on average – took top honours. It scored five stars in seven categories for a total score of 83 per cent.

Other firms in the top five were Premier Inn with 82 per cent, Warner Leisure Hotels with 80 per cent, Hampton by Hilton with 78 per cent and Q Hotels, also with 78 per cent.

Premier Inn recently announced plans to roll-out a series of high-tech “hub” hotels, with the first due to open in Covent Garden next month.

Britannia Hotels propped up the table for the second year running, scoring just one star in five categories – bedrooms, bathrooms, cleanliness, communal areas and “description matching reality”.

Other poorly performing chains were Old English Inns/Hotels with 50 per cent, Principal Hayley Hotel with 55 per cent, and De Vere Hotels with 58 per cent.

Travelodge, one of Britain’s biggest hotel chains, also suffered, scoring 60 per cent, despite recently implementing a £57m overhaul of its rooms.

The cheapest hotel chain – Ibis, where rooms cost £32, on average – came 13th, out of 29.