Which (wahey) one was it? (Picture: Getty Images)

A Which? survey of 4,500 travellers asked participants to rank the UK’s best and worst hotel chains to separate the wheat from the chaff, and the results are in.

For the 10th year running, one hotel chain has come in at the bottom of the pack.

The rankings were based on close to 4,500 hotel stays, with respondents asked to rate their experiences at 35 chains on things like cleanliness, bed comfort, food, customer service and value for money.

At the top of the scoreboard is Premier Inn, which earned an overall customer satisfaction score of 78%.

The chain was awarded five stars both for cleanliness and for how well the description of the rooms matched with expectations. Guests also enjoyed the comfort of the beds, customer service and the strength of the wi-fi – awarding these four stars.

Those surveyed hailed the chain’s ‘reliable’ and ‘quality service’, and plenty said they’re repeat customers thanks to the fact that they experience consistency across the board

Warner Hotels also did well, with a customer score of 77%, which included five stars for cleanliness, quality of the bedrooms and how well the description matched the experience.

Guest loved the ‘modern, comfortable’ rooms and ‘friendly welcome’ from staff.

Despite the fact that Warner Hotels is among the costlier of the hotel chains included in the survey, with an average room rate of £173 per night, earned four stars for value for money, with multiple guests explaining that the inclusion of entertainment, breakfast and dinner in the cost helped in that regard.

Malmaison came in close behind at 76%, with guests enjoying the ‘fantastic service’ and ‘pure luxury’, as well as giving it five stars for cleanliness, quality of the rooms, and how well the experience lived up to the description.

Even though the chain did well overall, people gave Premier Inn just two stars overall in the value for money category. Despite the fact that it’s still the second-cheapest hotel in the survey, the average cost of a night’s stay has risen by a staggering 35% since 2021 – a good chunk more than the national average of 21%.

Interestingly, Travelodge, which is the cheapest chain in the survey with an average cost of £78 for a room, was also rated just 2 stars for value for money.

Guests didn’t seem too happy with the quality of the rooms either, with one saying that their room was ‘very run down’, while others called the bathrooms ‘cramped’ and ‘tired’ bathrooms.

Overall, the chain earned just one star for food and drink, with respondents saying the breakfasts are ‘not worth the money’.

A spokesperson for Travelodge said: ‘Annually we welcome nearly 19 million customers across our 581 UK hotels with over 500 hotels achieving a high score of 4+ Dots on Tripadvisor.

‘This year, we have consistently ranked 2nd for Value in the YouGov BrandIndex for Hotel & Cruises sector. We are dedicated to providing great value rooms and continue to invest in our hotels.

Premier Inn came out on top (Picture: Getty Images)

‘We are sorry that the respondents from this survey did not receive our normal high level of service.’

And at the bottom of the results table?

In its tenth year in a row coming last in Which?’s survey results is Britannia, with participants giving the chain two stars across every single category.

That included cleanliness, food, and value for money, and it meant Britannia earned an overall customer satisfaction score of 56%.

Guests didn’t mince words when they described their surroundings at the chain’s hotels as ‘tired and tatty,’ with a ‘rough and ready’ feel. One guest said their room was ‘absolutely dire, drab and smelly’, while another complained about dirt and mould.

Guy Hobbs, Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘With a decade of dismal reviews cementing its place as one of the UK’s worst hotel chains, our results suggest that Britannia should be avoided at all costs.

‘With the average price of a UK hotel stay now costing a fifth more than it did last year, travellers want to be sure they are getting the best possible experience for their money.

‘Our results show that price isn’t necessarily an indicator of quality and many respondents reported fantastic stays with brands including Premier Inn and smaller chains like Warner Hotels.’

Mercure and Jurys Inn, which is undergoing a rebrand shift to Leonardo Hotels, a score of 58%, but all was certainly not lost – the overall vibe of responses was that each chain does OK.

Mercure was praised for having ‘conveniently located’ hotels and ‘helpful staff’, facilities were described as ‘basic’, with one guest writing: ‘Not that bad but definitely not good. Avoid if possible.’

Jurys Inn/Leonardo Hotels also got praise for chain for their conveniently located branches and level of service’, but one guest said their stay was: “Good, but nothing special for the price.’

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A spokesperson for Jurys Inn Hotels said: ‘To date in 2022, we have experienced significant growth in occupancy and received over 213,000 guest reviews across our 52 hotels, located across the United Kingdom and Ireland, recording high customer satisfaction scores, which position us strongly amongst our competitive set.

‘While Which’s? findings, based on a survey of only 58 guests, are at odds with this, all feedback is important to us and, as per our wider strategy, continually look at ways to enhance the customer experience across all our hotels, with product innovation, people and customer service sitting at the heart of this plan.’

A spokesperson for Mercure said: ‘We are surprised to see our position in this survey, it does not reflect the standard of guest experience which we strive for, and we will take action to address these comments. In fact, the most recent BVA BDRC Hotel Guest Survey ranks Mercure 14th out of 164 hotel brands in the UK and scores the brand highly for “excellent cleaning and hygiene standards”.

‘We pride ourselves on the welcoming hospitality of our hotel teams, as your reader notes. Our guest feedback, based on nearly 100,000 annual reviews, scores Mercure at 84.5% for its staff. The same guest data scores Mercure at 76% overall guest satisfaction, exceeding the overall Which? customer score by nearly 20 points. Furthermore, our TrustYou data, based on more than 18,000 independent reviews on TripAdvisor and other platforms, also highlights the excellent quality of Mercure staff service, resulting in 91% of positive mentions about our service friendliness.

‘The experience and wellbeing of our guests at each and every property is our highest priority.’

Britannia did not respond to requests for comment.

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A survey of 4,500 travellers asked participants to rank the UK’s best and worst hotel chains.