Hotel chain housing migrants ranked worst in UK

A hotel chain using some rooms to house migrants has been ranked the worst in the UK by a new survey.

Britannia Hotels was placed at the bottom of a list of 52 hotel chains by consumer group Which?. It managed an overall customer score of 44% and just one star out of five for cleanliness and bathrooms.

Britannia, which averaged £84 per night among those surveyed, has finished bottom for the 12th consecutive year of the survey for large hotel chains. The chain's International Hotel in Canary Wharf, east London, is solely being used to house migrants, attracting protests outside in August this year.

It has also rented rooms out to the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers at other hotels for several years. The analysis of large and small hotel chains was based on a survey based on 4,631 and 1,776 Which? members respectively.

Read more:How world's richest man is boosting British rightMilitary barracks to be used to house asylum seekers 'A total dive' One customer, who had stayed at its Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone, Kent, described the building as a "total dive". Another said they left after the first night of a three-night booking because of poor service, room and food.

Premier Inn lost its status as a Which? Recommended Provider after some guests told the consumer group it was no longer offering good value, with standards slipping. The chain, charging respondents an average of £94 per night, achieved an overall score of 73%.

It was overtaken by JD Wetherspoon, which has more than 50 hotels attached to its pubs, scoring a customer score of 76%. Coaching Inn Group, which has 35 inn-style hotels often in market towns or beauty spots, came top of the ranking for large chains with a score of 81%.

Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said: "A night away should be a real treat but with hotel prices climbing, finding a hotel chain that consistently offers comfort, good customer service and a charming location at a fair price has become harder. "The good news is we've found that whether you're after a boutique stay in the Brecon Beacons or a budget break in Broughty Ferry, travellers can still get a great experience at the right price by staying with better brands." Britannia Hotels has been approached for a response..