Large chain behind hotels in Haywards Heath and East Grinstead voted best in the UK

Premier Inn has been voted the country's best large hotel chain in Which?’s annual survey.

At just £66 per night on average, Which? Recommended Provider Premier Inn, which also operates hotels in Horsham and near Gatwick Airport, was given five-star ratings for cleanliness, Covid-19 safety measures and bed comfort, with customers enjoying their king-sized beds and choice of firm or soft pillows.

Premier Inn’s impressive customer score of 79 per cent was topped by the best small chain, Hotel du Vin. The company, which operates a hotel in Brighton, scored 80 per cent from guests.

Premier Inn's room prices were 50 per cent more expensive than Britannia' s - which earned the unenviable crown of the UK’s worst hotel chain for the ninth consecutive year.

The chain has 61 hotels across 36 parts of the UK, including Airport Inn Gatwick, Europa Gatwick Hotel and Russ Hill Hotel Gatwick.

More than half of its guests in Which?'s survey – 51 per cent – said they ran into a problem during their stay. The most common issue was cleanliness.

One guest said: "It was terrible. The room was dirty. The bathroom was dirty. The carpet was terrible, stains everywhere."

The upkeep of Britannia's hotels was another common cause for complaint. A guest said their hotel was ‘run into the ground’ and another guest found their Britannia hotel to be ‘old, worn out and in need of a drastic makeover’.

Another complained of ‘small and basic rooms’, ‘no soap or shampoo’ and ‘bags of rubbish outside the main entrance’.

Britannia scored an overall 49 per cent in our survey. Although a dismal score, this was the best result the chain has had in years, after it earned slightly improved ratings for bed comfort (three stars) and value for money (two stars).

Britannia’s consistent failings have insulated other chains from criticism over the years, but Mercure, which owns the Brighton Seafront Hotel, ran it close in 2021, with a score of just 52 per cent. While some guests praised Mercure hotels’ central locations, many observed that standards had fallen.

One guest said: "Mercure are not as smart as they used to be – there are some poor quality properties in their portfolio. However, they can offer good value."

The survey also found that room price was not necessarily a good indicator of quality. The average price those surveyed paid for a room in Britannia was £99.