Liverpool Adelphi Hotel owners Britannia ranked worst UK hotel chain for eleventh year in a row

The owner of the Adelphi Hotel has been named the UK’s worst hotel chain for the eleventh consecutive year.

Britannia Hotels, which owns dozens of hotels across Britain received an overall customer satisfaction score of just 48%, according to a Which? survey - down from 56% in 2022.

The annual survey asks customers to rate hotel cleanliness, bed comfort, food, customer service and value for money. More than 5,300 people completed the survey of 29 large UK hotel chains.

Britannia Hotels scored a dismal one star rating for its bedrooms, bathrooms and quality of the wi-fi, and scored no higher than two stars in any of the remaining categories – including cleanliness. An average cost of a night’s stay at one of the chain’s hotels is £83.

Though many of Britannia’s properties have illustrious histories, many now offer but a faint glimpse of what one guest described as their ‘faded elegance’.

Respondents described the chain’s hotels as ‘awful… so filthy that we cleaned the whole accommodation ourselves’ and ‘like something out of the sixties’, while another guest concluded they’d ‘never stay in a Britannia again’.

In last year’s survey, guests at the Adelphi described the surroundings as ‘tired and tatty’ with a ‘rough and ready’ feel. LiverpoolWorld readers also named the venue as one of the ‘ugliest’ buildings in Liverpool.

The Adelphi Hotel has also come under fire for safety in recent years, after Chloe Haynes, 21, was found dead in one of its hotel rooms. In the early hours of September 10, 2022, the holiday park worker was discovered under a wardrobe having returned to her room after a night out.

Which? hotel rankings

The ranking was topped by Hotel Indigo, with 77%, which according to the survey, charged an average of £130 per night. Hub by Premier Inn also received an overall customer satisfaction score of 77%.

Mercure and Travelodge were placed in the bottom three, both with an overall customer satisfaction score of 56%.

Full rankings table with customer satisfaction score

1. Hotel Indigo - 77%
2. Hub by Premier Inn - 77%
3. Premier Inn - 75%
4. Wetherspoon Hotels - 73%
5. Ibis Styles - 71%
6. Sofitel - 71%
7. Hilton (Garden Inn) - 70%
8. Hilton - 69%
9. Holiday Inn Express - 69%
10. Marriott - 69%
11. Courtyard by Marriott - 68%
12. Marston’s Inns - 67%
13. Best Western - 66%
14. Crowne Plaza - 66%
15. DoubleTree by Hilton - 66%
16. Holiday Inn - 66%
17. Radisson Blu - 66%
18. Days Inn - 65%
19. Hampton by Hilton - 65%
20. Ibis Budget - 64%
21. Ibis - 63%
22. Leonardo Hotels - 62%
23. Delta Hotels (Marriott) - 62%
24. Novotel - 62%
25. Macdonald Hotels - 60%
26. Old English Inns/Greene King - 60%
27. Mercu

What has been said?

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: “With prices at many hotels rising further this year, finding good value, budget accommodation is increasingly difficult. For those looking for a reasonably priced stay, there are big differences between the best and worst chains, with the likes of Premier Inn and Wetherspoons distinguishing themselves from the pack.

“When you’re booking your next trip, make sure to take time to research your options carefully, and read reviews from a range of sources to see what other guests thought of their stay.”

Britannia did not respond to a request for comment.