Britannia Hotels

In 2005 and 2006 the Grand Hotel in Scarborough and the Britannia Adelphi were investigated by the BBC over theft and hygiene.[25][26] In November 2014, an undercover investigation by the Liverpool Echo found issues with the upkeep of both the exterior and interior of the Adelphi, warning that the ageing interiors and basic service placed Britannia Hotels at a disadvantage in the fast-evolving "cut-throat" tourism industry.[27] Which? journalists found the Britannia Lodge near Gatwick airport to be in a worse condition, reporting smells of damp because of a clogged ventilation fan, a bathroom affected by mould, and stains revealed under ultraviolet light.[2]

Hotel research and booking site Oyster.com has reviewed a number of Britannia Hotels. The website commended most of the reviewed locations for their proximity to city centres or public transport hubs[28] and efforts to renovate some rooms in the Manchester location,[29] but raised concerns about outdated interiors, inconsistent maintenance, and Wi-Fi access fees,[30] the latter generally considered inappropriate in a country where internet access is a major part of daily life.

In the mid-1980s, Alex Langsam acquired the Grade II* listed London Road Fire Station in Manchester for the group. Proposals to redevelop it into a hotel and offices were delayed and in 2006 it was placed on English Heritage's register of "at risk" historical buildings.[31] The city council's attempt to compulsorily purchase the building was rejected on 29 November 2011.[32][33] In 2015 Britannia sold the building to Allied London who began redevelopment as a mixed-use leisure and hotel facility.[34]

Amid increasing pressure on Britannia Hotels over poor cleanliness, the Home Office temporarily rented rooms in three Britannia locations (two in Bournemouth, one in Folkestone) to house asylum seekers because of overcrowding at the detention centres.[35] The Home Office also rented rooms for new refugees who were waiting for long-term housing.[4]

In December 2018, the Britannia Royal at Kingston upon Hull cancelled a charity reservation for rough sleepers on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without giving a reason. The incident led to a significant escalation of general criticism against Britannia Hotels, who then temporarily removed their presence from social media.[36]

In March 2020, Britannia Hotels attracted widespread condemnation for their response to the coronavirus pandemic: on 19 March, the Coylumbridge Aviemore Hotel sacked and evicted approximately thirty staff without notice or redundancy pay, leaving several homeless as a result of living in the hotel as part of their jobs.[37][38] Britannia Hotels later reversed the decision under widespread political and public pressure, but claimed that the sackings were due to an “administrative error”.[39][40] A similar incident also occurred at the Britannia-owned Pontins holiday parks, where many employees were living there as part of their jobs.[41]

On 24 March, Manchester City Council reported that Britannia Hotels evicted homeless people from Britannia's two city centre hotels (Britannia Manchester and Sachas Hotel), despite the central government allowing hotels to continue accommodating health workers and homeless people.[42]

In September 2007, Manchester Crown Court fined Britannia Hotels £39,486 for food hygiene offences at the Britannia Hotel in Stockport, shortly after TripAdvisor rated it as one of Britain's dirtiest hotels.[43] In December 2014, the Nuneaton Justice Centre fined Britannia Hotels £25,400 for food hygiene offences at the Royal Court Hotel in Coventry.[44]

Britannia Hotels was prosecuted for breaking health and safety laws after a student drowned at the Adelphi.[45] In November 2015, the Liverpool Echo investigated a guest's complaints about the Adelphi.[46] In June 2017, the Adelphi was prosecuted for breaches of food safety and hygiene regulations.[47] Further issues with the Adelphi have been reported since.[48][49][50] The Liverpool Echo visited the Company's headquarters in June 2019 to interview a spokesperson about the complaints, but no-one would see them.[51]

In 2013 in Canterbury Crown Court the chain was ordered to pay £200,000 in fines and costs for putting guests and construction workers at risk of exposure to asbestos at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone.[52]