Which? has revealed which hotel chains are the best – with three leaving holidaymakers less than impressed by their experiences.
The best and worst hotel chains have been ranked by Which? with three names failing to impress their guests. The new survey by has shown which international hotel chains have been found by holidaymakers to be well worth the cost – and which three chains have fallen short of expected standards.
Of the three worst hotel chains that left visitors with negative impressions, a luxury household name was included, which the experts explain shows “that household names cannot always be relied upon to deliver the best experience.”
Respondents to the survey gave feedback on 37 different hotel chains, and those that topped the list as the best were nowhere near as well known internationally.. Those who participated were asked to rank their hotel experiences across 10 different criteria, including value for money, cleanliness, food and drink, and bed comfort – among others.
The hotel chain that came last in the survey was Campanile – a French hotel chain that is regularly seen throughout Europe, particularly commonly situated near motorways and airports. The no-fuss hotels only scored 57 percent in customer satisfaction across the 10 categories. However, Campanile is a budget chain, offering the lowest prices of any hotel chain surveyed, with one respondent noting that they got much what they expected from their stay and that their hotel “did what it said on the tin”.
Other visitors were still unimpressed by Campanile’s offerings, despite the low-end prices of £64 per double room for a night’s stay on average, with the chain only scoring “a two-star rating for value for money” overall. The hotel chain that came second to last was Hampton by Hilton – which is a budget to mid-range offering from hotel conglomerate Hilton.
Visitors were surprisingly not blown away with this name-brand hotel, which only managed a 58 percent customer satisfaction rating. The hotel chain “received just two stars in five out of the ten categories assessed, including value for money, bathrooms, food and drink, communal areas and decor, and how well the description matched reality,” Which? explained.
However, on cleanliness and bed comfort, the brand came out with four stars – so if a good night’s sleep is your only major concern when it comes to booking hotels, you may still leave this chain feeling satisfied.
The third lowest hotel chain in the survey was Wyndham. These hotels, much like Hampton by Hilton, scored higher on bed comfort and cleanliness – for which they bagged three or four stars. However, when it came to drinking and dining, visitors were not particularly impressed, with the respondents only giving this chain two stars, so if you are looking for the complete experience, this name brand might not be the choice for you.
On the other end of the spectrum, the three hotel brands that scored joint first at 85 percent satisfaction were all lesser-known Spanish names; Iberostar, Paradores Hotels, and RIU. “Our survey found that smaller and family-run brands often beat the best-known names when it comes to delivering an exceptional holiday, with Spanish brands dominating the top of the table,” explained Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel.
“Family-run firms like Riu and Iberostar impressed guests with their excellent customer service, great food and drink, and beautiful locations, while state-run Paradores Hotels proved popular for their unique heritage properties.”
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