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UK hotel chains with the most complaints revealed
Almost a third of guests (31%) who recently stayed in a Britannia hotel had an issue with their visit - the most across all UK hotel brands featured in our survey.
The top problems were about cleanliness, customer service and room quality. Britannia scored just one or two stars out of a possible five in these categories.
One guest said the toilet leaked across the floor on arrival, and another mentioned the ‘two unpleasant little rooms’ they were allocated ‘in the basement’.
While Britannia guests had the most grumbles with their stays overall, the most complained about small hotel chain was Village Hotels.
Over a quarter (26%) of its guests had problems, and its poor ratings overall left it at the bottom of the small hotel chains results table, with a 55% customer score.
This low overall score did however surpass large hotel chain Britannia’s, which scored 48%. See the full rundown of Britannia and Village Hotels’ ratings in our hotel brands survey results.
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Large UK hotel chain with the most problems: Britannia
After 10 years at the bottom of the hotel chains survey, it’s no surprise that Britannia's guests had the most to complain about (31%). However, less than half made a formal complaint.
The quality of the bedrooms provided seemed a particular gripe. Guests mentioned ‘dirty,’ ‘filthy’ and ‘grotty’ rooms.
One visitor simply said: ‘Do not go’.
Some guests enjoyed their stays, but as one survey respondent put it: ‘It can be potluck’ whether you get a ‘poor’ or ‘good’ Britannia hotel.
Britannia is one of the cheaper chains (£82 per night on average). However, visitors tell us it’s a little cheaper to stay at a Days Inn hotel (£79) which gained four stars out of five for value for money from guests, compared to Britannia’s two.
Alternatively, Premier Inn beat both chains in the survey with four out of five stars for cleanliness, bedrooms and customer service and is an extra £10 per night on average. Previous hotel guests also think that the beds are extremely comfy, awarding the full five stars in this category. Because of its excellent ratings and good value for money, Premier Inn is a Which? Recommended Provider.
Most complained about small UK hotel chain: Village Hotels
Just over a quarter of guests (26%) in our survey had problems with their stay at Village Hotels.
The most prominent complaint was about the quality of the food. A few who ate breakfast or dinner in a Village Hotel described their meals as ‘disappointing’ and ‘poor pub grub at best’.
Others complained that their food arrived cold or overcooked.
Village Hotels is the cheapest small hotel chain in our survey. However, you’d think being the least expensive, it would at least gain good value-for-money ratings. But it didn’t impress members even for the price (£104).
If it’s cheap and cheerful you’re after, Premier Inn, Wetherspoon Hotels and Ibis Styles are more affordable and scored four out of five stars for value.
However, you’ll need to pay a bit more if you’re hoping to stay in a small hotel chain with character. Try the Coaching Inn Group (£139). Its thoughtfully restored hotels are situated inside period buildings in attractive market towns or scenic spots.
The key gripes across all UK hotel chains
Even the best-rated hotels’ standards can sometimes slip. The most commonly noted problem was about food quality (19%); Village Hotels wasn’t the only chain whose guests had issues with meals.
Poor customer service was the next most common issue, with 17% of people unhappy about it, followed by room quality (15%).
However, despite almost one in five finding problems with their stay, only 1 in 10 submitted a formal complaint.
Should you complain to your hotel chain when something isn’t right?
Yes. Providing feedback or submitting a complaint will help a hotel to improve.
A considerable number of those in our survey who did complain, told us they were satisfied with the outcome. Guests mentioned various resolutions, from staff replacing a faulty shower head and providing a fan in a hot room, to compensation vouchers and even full refunds. This suggests it’s worth raising any concerns.
Find out how to complain when unhappy with accommodation.
The least complained about UK hotel chains
Not all hotels disappointed guests. Around nine in 10 visitors at Wetherspoon Hotels, Sofitel, Courtyard by Marriott (91%), Ibis, Days Inn (90%), Ibis Budget and Coaching Inn Group (89%) told us they had no issues with their respective stays. Check our hotel chains survey results to see how each performed overall and how they scored for cleanliness, bed comfort, facilities and more.
- Book a stay at Wetherspoon Hotels
- Book a stay at Sofitel
- Book a stay at Courtyard by Marriott
- Book a stay at Ibis
- Book a stay at Days Inn
- Book a stay at Coaching Inn Group
Research notes: Data was collected in July 2023 and referred to hotel stays in the previous 12 months. 4,611 people took part in the big hotel chains survey and we gained 6,303 responses overall about their stays. The small hotel chains survey is based on 738 responses from 692 respondents. We combined answers to ‘yes I had an issue and made a complaint’ and ‘yes I had an issue but didn’t formally complain’ to find the hotel chain causing guests the most problems.
