Undercover at Britain’s worst hotel chain - Which? investigates
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- Опубліковано 1 лис 2018
- Britannia hotels has been named the UK's worst chain in an annual survey by Which? Travel. Which? presenter Reya El-Salahi goes undercover at the chain’s Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton.
Avoid surprises when you travel. See the full results of our 2018 best and worst hotel chain survey at www.which.co.uk/reviews/uk-ho....
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It's mad. Britannia often has beautiful buildings in great locations BUT everything else about them is complete and utter shite.
The Grand Hotel in Scarborough in 2021 makes this place look like heaven!!
I agree, I recently stayed there. Truly shocking, dirty apathetic staff and poor facilities,.
I walked past the grand in Scarborough this year 2021 ,it is the most imposing Hotel I have ever seen, I'd love to stay there....with a sea view...
I booked a single room there and I've been in bigger phone booths. I walked straight down to reception checked out and got my money back
@@peterfenwick7573 well that's top marks to customer relations...most hotels would dispute your checkout procedure and retain their charge..
I hear this place is now full of our friends arriving by dinghy, at the tax payers expense of course.
Lived in Brighton for 3 years and walk past this place a lot, always assumed it was nice inside. Didn't realise it was a Britannia hotel though; booked a room at one in Birmingham once and checked back out within 2 minutes. No idea how this chain is still going!
*Sounds like that chain needs to go!*
Used to go on National holidays coach trips and was usually put up in Britannia owned hotels so did not expect 5 star accommodation however because of cutbacks we had to start taking our own cockroaches
🤣
National Holidays is crap.
Such a shame because that’s such a lovely building in a great spot! Britannia earn enough money so there’s no excuse for it to be like that.
The bar is amazing but Mate the other stuff is weird
because its what the owner does. buys grand buildings and runs them to the ground without actually renovating nor paying for anything over the minimum national living wage.
I've even seen one of their hotels in Coventry burned down, and they where still selling the rooms. utterly disgusting
@@crrnq94. Exactly right! They bought some of the most magnificent old hotel buildings in the country and ran them into the crap heap. They don't seem to care. In fact, that seems to be their business model.
Shame on that company. The place needs sympathetic owners and a root-and-branch clean-out and refurbsihment to bring it back to its former glory.
@@rjjcms1 unfortunately. This is what Britannia does as a Company. Buys buildings and then run the to the ground. Then buys another building and also run it to the ground.
0 money spent on refurbishing or fixing problems.
All staff get minimum wage, and even managers only get 50pence above minimum wage.
Having had worked for the company for over 6 years I can see why no one even bothers to do a good job. It’s not worth the hassle from their point of view.
Mr.Langston the owner of the company would rather sit there counting money and pay someone else to just listen to complaints, but not do anything about the issues and carry on taking your money.
In Britannia’s Eyes, if there’s a problem they are better off ignoring it or giving customers a complimentary bottle of wine worth 90pence. If the customer still isn’t happy, we’ll it it what it is and they are invited to leave. Someone else will come and spend money there instead.
If you are looking for somewhere cheap to stay out with your friends and don’t care for quality and just want a filthy bed to crash on, go for it. But I would definitely not even bother to think about bringing my family to any Britannia hotel. It is Shameful.
Thank you!!! I almost booked a room but luckily found your movie.
Somethings never change. I worked for Britannia for a couple of years as a manager from 1996, even back then the group were notorious for their shoddy rooms and DILLIGAF attitude.
Britannia have iconic buildings all over the country , they simply don't invest anything on them...shame on them.
Brilliant video. So sad to see such a wonderful building neglected like this. It is the same story with the chain's hotel in Nottingham which once used to be lovely.
Those round pin sockets are 5amp which the table lamps would plug into, these were then probably switched by the door when working correctly. I think the French toast was fried bread 😉
yep, she's a dafty.
Not 5 amp. They are 2 amp. 5 amp is for TVs.
@@jennifersivewright3117 sorry to disagree they are 5 amp.. those are to big to be 2amp
They also took over pontins and have invested no money trying to correct what was an already extremely run down set of holiday camps, they've somehow gotten even worse which honestly I didn't think was even possible. Shocking company. They have zero regard for hygiene, safety, even basic levels of maintenance or their customers.
I stayed at a Pontins might have been 2008 or 2010 as a lad in Wales I think we had to move rooms as people were idiots in our block remember kids club and riding some late night rides and being in a pub during an England Game
I was surprised to see this video. I worked at the hotel in 1969 while I was on a gap year from Canada. It was quite nice back then but I might have had a hand in it's decline. I was hired as a waiter and I had no experience in silver service. The first meal I served was spaghetti to the son of a very forgiving lady. It did not go well as more of the pasta ended up on the table than on the plate. I got a little better after some training but I doubt if I ever attained a realistic level of proficiency. My apologies to Mr. Lamb the maitre d and all the other staff. We had some pretty high profile guests back then to. Among them were Graham Green and the old time actress Hermione Gingold. She was pushing 70 and was wearing a mini skirt and looked quite good. My apologies to a fine old hotel if I had any hand in it's downfall.
I’m certain you didn’t, but it’s very sweet that you care enough to apologise. 🥰🥰
Employees mess up in literally any job don't worry! you aren't responsible for the problems the business has
Hermione Gingold was pushing 70 in the 1950's, I thought. Most people know her from Gigi, with Leslie Caron. (or maybe Audrey Hepburn...? No, pretty sure it was Caron....and Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jordan, I believe)
I love Graham Green's narration of his most famous work, "The Third Man"
ua-cam.com/video/NSAsJ-_tKdg/v-deo.html This is Graham reading his intro, but the version most people know has Joseph Cotton reading the intro.
not your fault if they didn't want you to spread spag bol everywhere they should have given you training would have loved to be a fly on the wall tho.
@Nichen Fauster very sad world you live in ! Hopefully you’ll grow up one day
You were brave getting in that lift!! ...hope it's oiled and serviced regularly
What sort of reporter has never seen fried bread before. And actually thought it was bad french toast. LMFAO
A Muslim reporter
I had the misfortune of staying in the Britannia hotel in Birmingahm in about 2006. Awful place, full of asylum seekers that hung about around the reception area. The fire alarms were all hanging off, apparently being upgraded but nobody was working on them. The beds were uncomfortable and the room itself grubby. Breakfast was served by rude staff and was cooked until any taste had gone. I would have asked for my money back but the company I worked for paid the bill. It doesn't seem like the chain has improved.
I stayed there as well back in 2006 overnight after we had gone to Walsall illuminations which was a load of rubbish and the place was horrible and the staff were rude and the food and the rooms weren't very nice either!
Just seen a video from someone called Yorkshire rose. She went to the Britannia country house in Manchester, that too was full of migrants. Not sure if that’s still the case
Charming, brittania hotels are the kind of hotels made especially for small minded Englanders. You got what you deserved. Have a go at asylum seekers - typical
Britannia's owners/shareholders must be glad, just like Santander's, that no money is being wasted on the customers that could go into their dividend instead.
@@NA-gf1zy The problem with these grand Victorian hotels is that the "carriage trade" no longer goes to British seaside resorts. Their modern equivalents are on luxury yachts or stopping off at Monaco and the like. Those are the people whose ancestors turned up in Rolls-Royces and had several servants accompanying by train. Now they go a lot further away by private jet and helicopter.
If Britannia spent millions restoring the buildings, they would never be able to get enough high payers to recoup the investment. Instead they are "sweating their assets:" in other words running them into the ground.
A few more decades of allowing water to get through the roof and their hotels will have to be demolished, whether or not there are any "historic building" considerations. Then the land will be sold off for development.
@@NA-gf1zy Britannia are firmly at the bottom of the market, having won "worst hotel chain" from Which? magazine seven years in a row. At that end of the market, customers may be suspicious of quality if what they want is "cheapest possible." They may be looking to rent rooms out by the hour, like the late lamented Jonathan's Hotel in Birmingham or St Enoch's in Glasgow.
As regards demolishing a listed building once they have milked it as much as they can, what an absentee landlord does is to leave it empty and unmaintained for a few years (ignoring demands from the council for repairs) until it becomes dangerous. They may also cut back on security to encourage break-ins, casual sleepers, drug users and (ideally) fire-setters.
My worst holiday experience ever was in a Britannia hotel in Southport, UK. We were given a room in a converted elevator shaft, directly opposite the main ballroom which first had a wedding reception in it, till 9pm and then came the Stag-do! Think I got to sleep about 3 am! We thought we had a skylight above us as there were no windows, until we turned the main light on and discovered this was the it! And then, the realisation that we must have a room above us...... poor buggers!
The 'room' was dirty and had holes in the wall, which themselves had childrens' drawings all over! I'll never stop in a Britannia hotel again!
The Scarisbrick ? Another fine place ruined
I think that Britannia just hang on to these hotels due to the land value.their worst,well one I've been in,is the central Birmingham one.... interesting to say the least!
I know it`s a year ago since this post, but do NOT book the Britannia Hotel in Edinburgh,one star for it would be one too many,a pit full of crap,The Metropole/Savoy/Grand hotels in Blackpool are Stunning buildings BUT All owned by Britannia,also the Prince of wales/Scaresbrick hotels in Southport......AVOID AT ALL COSTS, I know from experience !
You have to be sick to book the Birmingham Britannia hotel voluntarily!
@@joannesaltfleet2071 Or really sick coming out of the Edinburgh one, terrible place, Southport "Prince of Wales" & "Scarisbrick" hotels are below 1* rating. I can't think of anything nice to say, in September this year we had a toilet that didn't flush, swapped rooms, at least it was a bit better.
Apparently even the Afghanis are complaining about it and its all free for them
And it's still more than the afghanis deserve. Go home.
Mark Mitchell 👏👏👏👏👏👏👌💯💯👌😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
@@barbaratg5230 Why is it more than they deserve ?
3:21 Well that's one feature worth a lot for me, a cute birb to greet you in the morning!
Nopainnogain Hurts loll
Britannia Hotel in Birmingham is the filthiest hotel I have ever stayed in.
A filthy hovel - should be closed down
@@ferguszade5594 I stayed there as well and hated the place!
At £72 for dinner, bed and breakfast...I'm not sure one should expect more in Brighton..
I worked as a chambermaid at The Royal Albion back in 1981 as a 17 year old. It looked a lot better inside back then, sad it's been let go like that.
Britannia Hotels really are rubbish!
They have some of the most historic and nicest buildings in the country, and this is pretty much want you end up with in every single one. Mouldy smelling, worn carpets and shabby doors and 30 year old decor. They must be the only chain in the world, who just don’t give a a Crap about the upkeep of their properties!
well, it wasn't as bad as my hotel room, it had random doors boarded up everywhere and a fire exit sign over one blocked door even smelled of smoke in a non-smoking ro We even had to get switched room about 3 times!
70 quid in central Brighton with dinner and breakfast ! That is fantastic value..this should be 300£
I stayed in The Albion LOL but we were on a drunken weekend so didn't care. But such a shame that such a lovely building has been ruined. They also have the ex 5 Star Royal Bath in Bournemouth which they are slowly killing.
The royal bath was good before they bought it!
i happen to find this video 1 day after booking a room at a Britannia hotel for a week. great.
We're so sorry to hear this. If you opted in for something like a 'refundable booking' or 'flexible booking', you could cancel for a refund and book another hotel? If not, you are in a tricky spot unfortunately. We have lots of advice on our website for your rights when it comes to cancelling trips & package holidays, so we'd always recommend taking a quick look to see if we can help: www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/travel Really hope it all works out for you.
My son spent last winter on maintenance in a Britannia and what you see as a guest is nothing compared to what you don’t see . It has to be falling down before they do anything
Wouldn’t stop in a Britannia hotel if you paid me
Lol I stay in one in Blackpool. Was fed up by second day. Afew years back. Never again
I work on reception in a Britannia hotel in Scotland. It’s a real shame we do not get the funding to re do the hotels as there is so much potential but not enough money to fulfill it:( it leaves a few unhappy guests and frustrated staff as we can’t help as much as we wish we could!
I feel for you working on the front desk somewhere like a Britannia hotel, something amazing will come up for you soon I’m sure :)
@@philipgallivan7681 yeah I left the place about a year ago now, not long after I commented. Now work in my own family run property company. Good things come to those who wait🤣
The problem with larger hotels is that they lack the personal touch - and if they do have this, is then they are likely to be VERY expensive.
Hotels like the Britannia are rapidly falling out of favour now, as people prefer air b n b, small 'boutique' hotels, or self catering. Even traditional B & B's (which are gaining in popularity again) are more preferential to most people. I don't see this situation changing anytime soon. It's likely to get even worse in future.
Unless they're posh, then large hotels, rather like old style department stores are not really in fashion anymore. Changing times.
No one wants to stay in a hotel that is reminiscent of 'Fawlty Towers' or one that looks like it houses asylum seekers.....even if it doesn't. People are much more demanding now than than they were 20 or 30 years ago. And they can post ferocious comments on sites like TripAdvisor.
If a hotel can't get even the basics right (clean bedsheets, clean bathroom, clean looking curtains with no holes or rips in them, and a stain free carpet) then you have to ask what's the point?
It's not the staffs fault but clean rooms can still be done on a worn out room. I personally wouldn't stay in a Asylum Migrant dumping ground, but the idea of staying in a mothballed army camp in the countryside got stuffed by NGO idiots taking govt to Court. As an ex soldier I know in their circumstances that would be a great idea for me than bedsit land.
The water damage is probably left over from a major fire that happened back around 2008-ish which took out half the building. The rest was clearly water logged by the fire brigade. For a long time there was doubt the owners would rebuild but an outcry sort of made them do it. Clearly, it was done on the cheap!
Burt down for good now, totally gutted and nothing left but a shell that has to be demolished 😢
I once stayed in the Britannia in Manchester. Absolutely terrible.
Britannia Hotels are a shambles - a pity because they have some great buildings in great locations. I suspect they are quite content to house asylum seekers and others needing temporary accommodation and paid for from public funds. It's a pity that there isn't a hospitality company with deep enough pockets to buy and refurbish the whole Britannia group.
Basically these hotels in large part cater to cut price coach package trips from the midlands/north of UK.
You pay cheap, you get cheap!
I stayed in their Manchester city centre hotel a few years ago. It was a great building but dirty and unmaintained. The lift would deliver you to a randomly chosen floor, not the one you pushed the button for.
It amazes me how badly run these places are. If a proper cleaning program was in place the rooms would be miles better and if basic maintenance was kept on top of the hotel again would look miles better and thus inturn attract repeat custom. Instead years of neglect and not spending means they end up in a dire circle.
The Grand Hotel, Scarborough has a cracking new class of legal/illegal immigrants that use that hotel for 'asylum'. FYI some mold makes the human immune system healthier, the rest 99% will mess you up. The days of pride in service are long gone.
How the heck they stay in business? Some good investors should buy it and completely renovate it.
Because they offer excellent value for money. So cheap
Prostitution and illegals ... It's true you simply need ask staff and security and notice the people going in, puts you off staying there altogether
It’s so sad because Brighton is an amazing city to visit and the location of the Royal Albion Hotel is superb. The view of the Brighton Palace Pier and seafront are superb from the main lounge but I must admit the hotel is dreadfully neglected by the current owners 😢
Went there last week 15th -18th feb its really nice it has changed a lot its lovely
Oh dear, I’ve always thought that Hotel looks upmarket from the outside. Seems not so on though. Suppose they might have improved things now, as this was three years ago.
Went there once on a Majestic coach holiday. Was so disgusted with the state of the place we stayed one night, certainly didn't eat there, checked out next morning and caught the train home. That was in 2007 !
I use to work there years ago and it wasn’t great then please does anyone know the names of the areas of the hotel, there was Adelphi- rotunda and I can’t remember the other two
What a disgusting hotel! Thank you for the heads up.
Thank you. I was looking at booking this hotel but not after your experience
Remember listening to Late Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore who had visited Egypt after King Farouk was booted out by Nasser.
What the PM had noticed was that the flush system was clogged, because what had to go down was coming up.
Lee, later in a tv interview, said that the best way of judging how a country is doing is by staying at its hotels. It gives you a good picture of how the state of affairs is being managed.
No wonder Singapore is such a lovely, neat and clean place, with such high living standards.
What about the Royal Hotel in Scarborough?
Funnily enough we stayed at this hotel about six weeks ago..it was ok for the price (we went on a coach holiday) location was excellent, we'd seen reviews so we were a bit cagey to start with but we needn't have worried. It wasn't the Ritz but it was ok. We were out most of the day, the lounge in the evening was comfortable - what really pissed us off was there was no loo on the ground floor near the bar and lounge, you either went down two floors to a basement where there was a public lav (entry code needed to open it) or you had to go to your room. Not ideal. Room was ok, food ok too, room clean enough, and if you think we're easy to please you don't know my Mrs.
This hotel has recently had a major fire and now doubtful it will ever reopen. By the looks of this, it is a *good* thing! Looked a half-a-century dated just walking past it outside in my home town.
Don't know why you would stay anywhere other than a Premier Inn, stayed in loads all over the country, never had a bad night, great value for money
They must have gone down hill over the years. I stay in one in St Leonards 10-12 years ago and it was lovely. Slept in like a mini suite. Receptionist was really helpful and breakfast was fresh cooked of a menu.
Why does the price go up three fold when there is an event in the city ? We the innocent are fed up with RIP off chains..
U can tell Why the chain came bottom.... :( Who let it get like that??..... :( Basil Fawlty? Cant Anything positive be done to improve it??
The Royal Albion is another example of a hotel that was built to high standards orignially intended to cater for a 'discerning clientele'. Much has changed in it's lifetime and the owners can't afford to fund a major refurbishment. And then, who would stay there at the prices that would have to be charged to recoupe the investment - ? Same as the Grand in Scarborough.
Sad, but that's reality.
The weeping hallway walls when it rains...
I stayed there in 2020. I loved how old fashioned it was ❤️
Shocking.....
How sad - it's such a pretty building on the outside. I've stayed in places like that and it's worse than just how it looks. Cracked and missing little window panes, smell etc
The Britannia Coventry Hill Hotel is by far the worst hotel I've ever been in. They have some great buildings but its a shame they let them get so run down.
I went there once and it was more like a prison than a hotel
I used to live in Coventry and that hotel had some what of a reputation for being a prostitute/drug den, best avoided lol.
I dj'd a wedding at the one in Coventry once. We had trouble setting as the plug sockets were hanging off the walls.
Am in Clifton hotel right now in Scarborough it’s awesome all facilities plus staff cooperation
I have stayed at their hotels in Manchester many times over the years, I'd tell myself, for the price, set your expectations low and you won't be disappointed.
Couldn't agree more! We made such a mistake booking at their Canary Wharf location. AWFUL.
Some folk are never satisfied. Always want 5 star but won't pay for it
Looks posh outside, but gosh, its filthy and needs a lot of maintenance
Dinner bed and breakfast for £72.00 what we're you expecting for that price.
Surely a Premier Inn would be a better choice?
I have stayed at the Britannia, Birmingham on 2 occasions - 2001 and 2004.
While not luxurious, it was adequate!
I tell you what’s worse than this is THE FULWICH HOTEL in DARTFORD, KENT!
I once stayed at the Adelphi in Liverpool. There were toenail clippings on the bedroom carpet. Yuck!!
Those sockets are standard UK sockets, they are a most likely connected to a lower capacity circuit, they are designed for lamps to be plugged into which was probably why they were originally there. You could overload the circuit by plugging say a hair dryer into them, hence the different design.
I have also stayed in this hotel but it was hit and miss. The room was OK but the rest of it was shabby, that said it was cheap.
How come it's still open?
Because its excellent value for money
£72 for dinner bed and breakfast? If they are charging so little, it is not surprising they can't afford to keep up the maintenance or serve decent food.
When will something be done about Brittania
Great, but that was fried bread not French toast! How odd!
That fried bread french toast is the most middleclass thing I 've heard since Peter Mandleson on a photo opertunity in some chippy pointed at the mushy peas and asked for Guacomole.
I love the Palace Hotel in Buxton where I go to meet up with family. The room is cheap but wifi, parking and food all cost a fortune. It's clean enough for me, but I've never been fussy, but I will look very hard later this month when I go! It's a few minutes walk down a very steep hill to the high street where there are several places for breakfast. I love the grand building and the fabulous staircase. We had an excellent pre-Christmas cream tea one year in their enormous lounge; plenty of space for the then tiny children to run about. The only other occupants of the normally rarely used lounge were enchanted by the 18-month-olds' antics with the Xmas paper. And their (well-supervised) efforts to conquer that astonishing staircase!
I STAYED IN THIS HOTEL IN FEB THE ROOM HAD STRONG SMELL OF CIGARETTE SMOKE AND WAS VERY COLD.....BUT AT 30 NIGHT IN WINTER WHAT DO YOU EXPECT.....
The socket is ment to be that way, it's a 5amp lamp socket,only to be used for lamps
Grade 2 listed building looks dated 🤔 hmmmm
I went here last February in 2020, it was dated and basic, but people helpful and cheerful
After saying that the [5 amp] lighting sockets were not the usual sort [they are the usual sort for 5 amp lighting circuits], the next shot shows a standard three-pin socket. Anything else made up or exaggerated for the sake of a good report? (That said, the reputation of Britannia Hotels is so widely known that anyone who books into one deserves the service they'll get.)
Do they do gluten free?
Same with the Manchester location too
Years ago, I spent a week in a hotel like that in the Kensington area. It was paid in advance, and the location was perfect, so I endured its total inadequacy and used it only to sleep in.
Coincidentally so did I. On the Cromwell road. It was a basement bedroom. Urgh.
How grubby, surprised there wasn't spunk over the beds and suspicious white powder.
I've stayed here recently (within 2 months) and nothing has changed, I was quite disappointed in the cleanliness and checking in took approximately one and a half hours. Two star rating at the very best (closer to 1 star)
This was three years ago, it is so much worse nowadays
I've stayed here was excellent value for money and perfect location
Are you the owner?🤣🤣🤣
@@josephxuereb1978 i wish
Watched this a few years after the video was made, but heaven knows if the hotel has changed at all! It’s unforgivable. If a company can’t afford or can’t be bothered to invest in its hotels to make them as they should be in the 21st century, they shouldn’t be in the business. And it’s a chain! Utter BS.
I've just booked to go to Bournemouth on a bus trip 4 day stay. The company couldn't confirm the hotel.. I think the reason is because it's gonna be this one 😩 ffs
This is Luxurious towards there Wolverhampton Hotel.
The Birmingham one isn't very nice either!
I was in Brighton recently and noticed a change for worst in parts of the sea front Hotels etc.. Lady here highlights poor condition of Decorating in this particular hotel... Parts of the city reqrier good White-wash too...
The adelphi Hotel Liverpool. Worked there one night and quit. Go in, admire the ballroom leave.
I go to there Didsbury hotel gym. Its not been touched since the 90's. Real shame as it could be really good. 1 guy own Brittania he is a multi millionaire who just isn't bothered by the looks of it.
That’s obviously why he’s a Millionaire. He doesn’t spend ANY of it on his Hotels.
The didsbury hotel is one of the better ones!
I've stayed in the royal Albion quite a few times and the rooms have always been super nice and incredibly clean
Unloved great building, that is bad enough. But dirt, mould, those hair rising carpets and finding Someone else's hair in the bathroom is Quite another thing. Both dinner and breakfast looked vomiting. One can only imagine the cleaning standards of the kitchen. What are the local authorities doing about IT? Thank you. Great video.
Back in 2013 I stayed at a Britannia hotel in Stockport and it wasn't very nice there.
We had sunday lunch there and I spat the veg out as it tasted like water!
The Travel Lodge in Newcastle is the absolute pits.
Grand Burstin in Folkestone takes some beating
My seaside favourite is the Queens in Southsea....gorgeous...