What is it like to stay in a hotel consistently voted the very worst in the United Kingdom? To find out, I checked into a Britannia hotel, a chain that has held that unwanted title for 12 consecutive years, according to Which? surveys.
A Legacy of Disappointment
Founded fifty years ago with the Country House Hotel in Didsbury, Manchester, the Britannia group has expanded to around 60 properties across the UK, even taking over the Pontins holiday camps. Yet its reputation is far from grand. Guests frequently complain that historic buildings are left to become grimy and uncomfortable, offering poor value despite their budget pricing.
My first encounter was in 2022 at a Bournemouth Britannia (now used to house asylum seekers). It featured stuck windows, a strong smell of paint, a drained pool, and a general air of neglect. So, with some trepidation, I recently visited the Britannia Hampstead in London to see if anything had improved for the chain crowned the nation's worst large hotel group in 2025.
The Bleak Reality of a Britannia Stay
The six-storey London hotel was eerily empty the week before Christmas, despite having a 350-person business suite. The vibe was non-existent. My windowless room cost nearly £90 with breakfast; adding a window would push it to £100. While cleaner than my Bournemouth experience—my UV torch found no hidden grime, likely due to powerful cleaning chemicals—the room was bland, dated, and brown. The lack of natural light was profoundly unsettling.
Staff were pleasant but scarce. The restaurant and bar were closed for unclear reasons, leaving me reading alone in a deserted lobby. The location, neither convenient for Hampstead Heath nor Camden, added to the sense of poor value. According to Which?, the average room price across Britannia is £84 per night, a sum that feels excessive for the experience offered.
The Stark Contrast: How a Good Hotel Does It
To provide context, I compared my stay to one at The Manor in Blakeney, Norfolk, part of the Coaching Inn Group—voted the UK's best large hotel chain for 2025. The difference was night and day.
Priced from £99, The Manor was warm, busy, and full of character. Staff, many with over a decade of service, were engaging and knowledgeable. The room was clean, comfortable, and cheerful. Located in a beautiful village by the River Glaven, it scored four stars for value for money in the Which? survey, a rating shared only with Wetherspoons' hotels.
The Final Verdict on Britain's Worst Hotels
Nothing about my stay at Britannia Hampstead suggested the chain is poised for a turnaround. Its model appears to be acquiring grand old properties and running them on a shoestring, avoiding costly modernisation. The result is a portfolio of worn-out buildings that consistently fail to delight guests.
For virtually the same price point, chains like the Coaching Inn Group—or even Wetherspoons, where rooms average £70—offer vastly superior comfort, service, and value. Britannia seems destined to secure the bottom spot for a thirteenth year running. The chain was contacted for comment regarding this review.
