It was rated one star out of five for bathrooms despite rooms costing an average of £99
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Britannia Hotel has been voted the worst hotel chain in the UK for the ninth year in a row. A survey of 2,603 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 per cent.
It was rated one star out of five for bathrooms, and two stars for seven other categories such as cleanliness, customer service and value for money. Yet guests paid far more than to stay at the cleaner, more comfortable Premier Inn.
Britannia – which has a hotel here in Fairfax Street, Coventry – was also the chain where guests were most likely to say they had a problem. More than half of guests surveyed said they ran into a problem during their stay at the hotel chain, with cleanliness being the most common issue.
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Kent Terri who stayed at Britannia in March complained: "Was amazed it hasn't been closed down as it was so dirty. Our room was bitterly cold and bed so narrow it was more like a stretcher. No pillow protectors and mattress so thin and hard. Bathroom dirty and landing smelt of smoke."
Another guest, however, had a 'very comfortable' stay at the Britannia Hotel in Coventry despite initially feeling 'fearful' after reading reviews of the hotel. Convey, who reviewed Britannia Hotel on Monday, April 11, said: "We stayed 3 nights as part of a coach tour. After reading the reviews we were slightly fearful.
"Yes, the Britannia Coventry building is a 1960s monstrosity. Yes, it's rooms really need updating but our stay was very comfortable.
"The room was scrupulously clean with linen and towels crisp and white. The food in the restaurant was excellent with plenty of choice. By far the staff are the hotel's biggest assets! Staff are professional, helpful, cheerful and fully deserve recognition for providing us with a great stay."
Which? also believes there is hope for Britannia Hotel as its score of 49 per cent is the best the hotel chain has ever had. Three stars for bed comfort is a triumph by its bleak standards. However, a string of two-star ratings, for cleanliness among other things, as well as one-star bathrooms, shows it has a long way to go.
Topping the list, however, was Premier Inn, which has more than 800 hotels throughout the UK and an average room price of just £66. Customers were particularly impressed by their king-sized beds and the selection between firm or soft pillows.
CoventryLive reporter Enda Mullen spent a night at Britannia Hotel in Coventry to find out what is is really like. Here is what he thought:
"It’s a little like the land that time forgot, combined with a smattering of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights and part of a Mike Leigh film thrown in for good measure. If I were trying to sum up Coventry’s Britannia that would be my distillation of a hotel which has clearly seen better days, but with a little bit of TLC could be something different altogether.
"It might feel like something from another era and would benefit from a pretty thorough makeover and arguably even an entirely new modus operandi. On the flipside though, it is cheap. It was actually decent value and because of that and its location, I would choose to stay again."
Read the full review here.
CoventryLive requested a comment from Britannia Hotels but received no response.