Which? magazine looks at the UK’s best and worst hotel chains

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I was sent a copy of Which? Travel magazine this month because I’m quoted in it. I very rarely see it otherwise since it is a subscription-only title.

The November issue includes the annual Which? Travel reader survey into the best and worst UK hotel chains. The results are not hugely surprising but they still make interesting reading.

The methodology, based on reader votes, is complex so I’ll just focus on the overall ranking.

The winner was Premier Inn with 79%. This is fine by me – I have written before on HfP about how impressive I find Premier Inn on the odd occasions when I need to use them.

Hilton Garden Inn comes second but with only eight UK properties doesn’t really mean much. Third was Fuller’s Hotels with 75% – a chain I have never used.

Non-UK based readers may be surprised to see Crowne Plaza in 5th place, but the quality of their UK hotels is far higher than you would find in the USA.

Other brands I like – Renaissance, DoubleTree, Hampton and Radisson Blu Edwardian – also do well.

Premier Inn Which? Travel

But what about the bottom of the list?

Of the 32 large chains covered, there is no prize for guessing who comes bottom. Not only does this chain come last, but it comes last by a whopping margin of 22% from its nearest competitor.

Yes, step forward Britannia Hotels. Despite having 60 hotels they can’t manage an overall score of more than 35%. The 2nd worst chain (Old English Inns) manages 57%.

The biggest surprise in the bottom 12 is Hilton, although there are some exceptionally ropey regional properties out there. Mercure was also a surprise near the bottom although I am biased because the one I see most often is the exceptional Sheffield hotel. It is less of a surprise to see easyHotel, Park Inn, Thistle and Travelodge down there.

PS. If you can get hold of a copy, there is also an interesting story about shrinking hotel rooms. The Which? Travel team visits a London hotel with a 5 sq m room (of which the bedroom is 3 sq m – the single bed touches the wall on both sides) and apparently some easyHotel UK rooms are 6 sq m. Z Hotel in Soho has 8 sq m rooms which are, impressively, 50% more expensive per square metre than booking a suite at The Ritz ….

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This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Genghis says:

9 Nov9 November 05:26

No surprise re Premier Inn. A mostly standard product so you know what you’re going to get. Comfortable beds. Usually decent value (I generally pay £30-40 a night in the north east).
- BJ says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 05:48
  
  Top two were a bit of a surprise to me, I had stayed at one of each and on that basis I avoided both since. PI was in Coventry IIRC and HGI in Aberdeen, I found both solid but uninspiring. Staying at HGI Glasgow for a meeting later this month so will Dee if that changes my views.
  - Genghis says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 06:03
    
    Agreed on PI being uninspiring. But that’s better than being dirty, noisy pipework, uncomfortable beds etc. I think (bizarrely) my expectations of UK hotels are lower than elsewhere.
    
    I stayed at HGI Glasgow by the river around five years ago for a week long work stay. Thought the room was solid at the time, but breakfast poor.
    - BJ says:
      
      9 Nov9 November 06:31
      
      Breakfast was also poor at the Aberdeen HGI, just a few plate buffet with the basics. I found that disappointing as I booked it believing I would be getting a cooked to order breakfast as I’m not a fan of buffets. I am not sure if HGI Glasgow was a new build or if it was a reflag of the City Inn, oddly that hotel had a very poor reputation for breakfast but a high one for other dining.
    - Erico1875 says:
      
      9 Nov9 November 06:38
      
      If staying in Aberdeen I recommend The SKENE SUITES
    - BJ says:
      
      9 Nov9 November 06:56
      
      Yes, thought about staying there to take advantage of first booking bonus via rocket miles but there have been reports that getting the bonus from rocket miles is hit and miss. Usually I stay Hilton group for points and EQ.
    - sunguy says:
      
      9 Nov9 November 10:40
      
      Have no idea what its like now, but when I was a student in Aberdeen, my parents liked staying at the previously independant “The Patio” hotel.
      
      I see its now a Doubletree – its on the beach Boulevard, so, a short walk up into the town with the Queens Links for places for eating just over the road.
      
      Maybe a plan the next time you are in Aberdeen and wish to stay with Hilton ?
  - 7Wood says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 06:55
    
    Have stayed in HGI Glasgow several times – solid value, if rooms a bit small. Try to get a “left at the top of the stairs” room as they seem slightly bigger. Don’t know why!
Barnaby100 says:

9 Nov9 November 05:51

There are a couple of very dodgy Hilton’s in the midlands (not East Midlands that is ok and the staff are good). Leicester and Northampton are awful.
- Kevin says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 06:21
  
  Just proves how people have differing impressions. Wasn’t overly impressed with East Midlands but liked Northampton.
  - Barnaby100 says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 07:14
    
    The rooms are not great but the staff are very helpful. Diamond so usually get put in a better room maybe?
    
    Very sleazy experience at one of the others, can’t recall which one (which has the statues? ). Wouldn’t go back.
- David says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 07:02
  
  Sheffield is so dated it’s actually quite hilarious
  - Rob says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 08:12
    
    I actually stayed there last month when I was up for a funeral, tempted by the 2500 Lufty miles. It wasn’t dreadful and I was expecting worse based on feedback. Had a big top floor room as a Diamond though.
    - David says:
      
      10 Nov10 November 08:12
      
      Did it have the orange melamine desk trim…?
      - Rob says:
        
        10 Nov10 November 08:19
        
        No, it was dull but a large room and no orange!
- Trickster says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 08:30
  
  I disagree. Did a three day trip taking in Northampton Hilton, St George’s Park Hilton (a favourite), and Nottingham Doubletree.
  
  While some of fixtures at Northampton are a bit dated, the room was fine, and the breakfast was the best of the three.
  
  St. George’s Park never lets us down in terms of suite upgrade and facilities, but breakfast was below par and some renovation of the restaurant is now needed.
  
  Nottingham was a good find, and well treated as a gold member with drinks vouchers and gifts from a trolley at check in.
  - Barnaby100 says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 19:02
    
    The doubletree Nottingham is another sleazy hotel that I won’t stay in as a woman.
    - Barnaby100 says:
      
      9 Nov9 November 19:11
      
      Although the sleaziest was one near Sheffield when Jim Davidson was performing at a men’s event at the hotel. I left.
Erico1875 says:

9 Nov9 November 06:00

To be fair. Brittania do not pretend to be anything other than budget.
Often the Edinburgh one is sub £70 on a Saturday when even out of the way travelodges are +£100 and your Hiiltons etc £200+.
It is in what was 30 odd years ago the quite impressive 4 star Ladbrokes Dragonara. Unfortunately I don’t think anything has been done in those 30 years so it is pretty worn blooming
- Mark says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 15:57
  
  Travelodge “refurbished” the Dragonara- adding rooms into the upstairs entrance area and the former function spaces (some of these extra rooms have not got proper windows).
Sandgrounder says:

9 Nov9 November 06:27

Anyone not familiar with Britannia, plenty of material is available on Google and YouTube, searching ‘watchdog Eileen Downey’ will throw up a few entertaining duels between the one-time reality star now sitting on the board and Ann Robinson.
- C says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 07:18
  
  For example….
  https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/britannia-hotel-police-manchester-death-15201535
  
  For a more lighthearted look at brittania have a look at the reviews of Sacha Hotel in Manchester on TripAdvisor..
  Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html
  - C says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 07:19
    
    https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g187069-d191553-Reviews-or5-Britannia_Sachas_Hotel-Manchester_Greater_Manchester_England.html
    - Anna says:
      
      9 Nov9 November 10:38
      
      The Manchester “airport” Britannia is pretty grim as well, we stayed there once before a flight, it looks like a prison inside and out and isn’t even that convenient for the airport. You have to feel sorry for the asylum seekers it tends to house these days!
DaveP says:

9 Nov9 November 06:37

From my experiences across the country, PI is a very reliable product and, in the main, great value – you know what you are going to get: clean rooms, very comfortable beds and a steady dining/breakfast offer. The only downside is that they do not offer loyalty/frequent stay points, unlike other hotel chains.
Shoestring says:

9 Nov9 November 06:43

More here including ranking table https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hotels/articles/revealed-worst-best-hotel-chains-in-britain/

Criteria:
Average price paid for a one-night stay (including all room types)
Cleanliness (including bedrooms, bathrooms and communal areas)
Quality of the bedrooms (including furniture, air conditioning, heating, facilities)
Bathrooms (including fixtures and fittings, lighting, towels, toiletries, shower or bath)
Bed comfort (including quality of mattress, pillow and duvet)
How well the description of the hotel matched the actual experience
- Shoestring says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 06:46
  
  Sorry that was 2017!
Bob says:

9 Nov9 November 06:46

“Mercure was also a surprise near the bottom”
I think Accor puts everything that cannot be a novotel, a ibis or a sofitel into a mercure brand.
It is ok for new built ones or refurbished ones, but new hotels coming into the brand can be sometimes weird.
I believe in the uk most of the mercure came from other chains.

“interesting story about shrinking hotel rooms”
I remenber one of the room at the Radisson Edwardian behind oxford street being also about 8 sq m. More of the exception instead of a real standard at this hotel.
But it was stylish. And I only paid £80 the night when I was there.
It was a decade ago.
Not bad for central London.
It is maybe like economy seats on airlines: shrinking space!
- 1nfrequent says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 07:06
  
  I agree with you about Mercure. There are also some horribly dated properties in the Mercure chain and a lack of consistency in terms of what you can expect from them. I’ve also found it difficult to get status recognition in some UK Mercures – just getting a drinks voucher can involve some back and forth, which all adds to the aggravation.
  
  1F
  - Michael Jennings says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 10:08
    
    “Mercure can be sometimes weird”. Yes, I find them very inconsistent. (I”m talking about Europe wide experiences more than the UK, though). I’ve stayed in very nice ones, and also much less nice ones. As someone else said, they seem to be the brand that Accor use for conversions that don’t fit into one of the other categories.
    
    The voters in this survey have tended to reward consistency, I think. Chains where you know exactly what you are going to get and then get it are rewarded. I suspect bad experiences – where people have thought they were going to get something and didn’t – have been punished harshly. That’s fair enough, I think. One of the purposes of hotel chains is to give people something comfortable and familiar when they are away from home and the things around them are perhaps less comfortable and familiar.
- Alan says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 09:59
  
  Only stayed in one Mercure and that was in Koblenz. It was absolutely fantastic. We had a dual aspect room with a wonderful view overlooking the Rhine.
Chris says:

9 Nov9 November 07:48

Completely disagree re Mercure being a surprise.

There are quite a few that could give Britannia a run for their money. Up here in Scotland the properties in Ayr, Glasgow City and Aberdeen Caledonian are absolute hell holes. Edinburgh Princes St is fine if you get a castle view room, the rest are a throw back to the days of when it was a Jarvis Hotel (20yrs ago). Even in England Kensington, Hyde Park and Brighton are ratty poor.

Like every chain there are some pretty decent ones. Edinburgh Haymarket, Bankside/London Bridge are pretty good and Ardoe House up in Aberdeen is very good as is Sheffield. Unfortunately the poor ones are in the majority.
- Rob says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 08:09
  
  Thanks. I admit my Mercure UK experience is Sheffield biased, where it is one of top two in the city centre.
  - Andrew L says:
    
    9 Nov9 November 09:10
    
    I’ve stayed at the Mercure in Rochdale and like the town, its a nasty place to stay!
- Craig says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 08:15
  
  Totally agree, the Mercure near Leeds Bradford airport is only marginally better than the Britannia. The latter of which is by far the worst hotel I have ever stayed in. It says something when the Travelodge is better than the pair of them.
- RussellH says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 11:40
  
  A lot of Mercures used to be Jarvis / Ramada Jarvis:- Manchester Picadilly, Bolton (which was a new build and not unpleasant) near the football ground, Glasgow George Square, Sutton Coldfield, west of Ashford, Kent…
  And I agree that you never really know just what you are going to find.
  The one that is part of the Opera House complex in Bregenz turned out to be quite decent.
- Jas says:
  
  9 Nov9 November 22:00
  
  Has Edinburgh Princes st not just been refurb’ed?