Clinching a great deal on a hotel can be a brilliant way to save money when on holiday. But what if the place you’re staying in is cheap for a reason? This new study from building inspection firm Property Inspect has revealed the UK’s dirtiest hotel chains, so you know where to avoid next time you’re booking a staycation.
The organisation audited the Food Standards Agency lowest-ranked hotels to find the worst of the lot. Britannia – which runs 61 hotels across the country – came top of the list. The research cited reports of ‘rats running around outside’, ‘blood on the curtains’, damp and cigarette smoke... which doesn’t sound great. There are 766 TripAdvisor reviews describing it as ‘terrible’, too.
Britannia was also recently rated the UK’s worst chain hotel by consumer brand Which? for the ninth year running, so you might want to think twice before booking a night there. The Manchester branch was singled out as particularly grim, with the experts citing reviews that described ‘damage in the corridors as though a mass brawl has taken place’ and ‘pungent smells’.
As for the cleanest? The Ibis hotel chain fared the best, with more than 91 percent of its hotels given five stars on TripAdvisor. Ibis Budget and Premier Inn were also commended, so now you’ve got at least three good options for your next budget break.
Looking for somewhere actually decent to stay? These are the 20 best Airbnbs in the UK.