Which? magazine unveils the best – and worst – UK hotel chains

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• HampshireHog says:

  13 Nov13 November 12:23

  Spoons doing well caught my eye. Not had the pleasure before and was not exactly looking forward to a forthcoming stay in Shrewsbury with unabated enthusiasm but perhaps it’ll be fine?

  • Ken says:

    13 Nov13 November 16:54

    99% of people who hate ‘spoons do so because of the owner (admittedly irritating) and probably haven’t been in one.
    The beer (very cheap) is always better kept than most pubs, the toilets always spotlessly clean and while I haven’t eaten there, the kitchen hygiene ratings rarely drop below 5

    I’d imagine the rooms are fine.

    • RussellH says:

      13 Nov13 November 17:35

      I certainly dislike the boss of Wetherspoons (more than just irritating), but over the years have visited a fair number – the first was on Newcastle’s Quayside looking for a cheap breakfast – we went back every day of our stay. Not “fine dining”, but most certainly value for the money.
      Beer, wine and coffee all good too. If the boss would just stick to running a pub chain…
      While usually I try to boycott businesses whose owners say or advocate things I find unacceptable, I have had to make an exception here.

      • Ali B says:

        14 Nov14 November 02:06

        So your principles are poor. I dislike the regime in China and would never visit despite the fact I know I would enjoy it

• Jenny Reed says:

  13 Nov13 November 14:16

  I wouldn’t describe the Sofitel St James as “super-luxury”. We stayed there for a long weekend in London for our 10th wedding anniversary in a suite. The sofa was broken, the sheets had holes in and the breakfast had some of the worst croissants I’ve ever had, which is appalling for an allegedly top 5* French hotel.

  • Rob says:

    13 Nov13 November 14:26

    Fair enough. I’ve never actually been beyond the lobby and restaurant. Will not repeat that comment!

  • JDB says:

    13 Nov13 November 15:23

    I think Sofitel feels much more 4* than 5* and Accor hotels generally feel like they are run by Trusthouse Forte, the hand of death. The group doesn’t really seem to have the aptitude to manage its better brands – Fairmont is at best patchy and The Savoy is a shadow of its former self. They will probably manage to ruin the Raffles name ere long.

    There’s a fast growing chasm between the big chains that have a few luxury hotel brands as part of a big portfolio and the smaller luxury only groups and independents that only operate at the top end.

    • RussellH says:

      13 Nov13 November 17:50

      As I remember it, Sofitel Vienna had tiny rooms, just like the CPs I have mentioned above.

      But they did look after me when I arrived at around 08:00 (off the sleeper from Frankfurt) – profuse apology for the room not being ready, please help myself to whatever I wanted for breakfast, and the room was ready after breakfast.

      Nicest place I stayed in Vienna was the Marriott – all my colleagues were saying how nice it was years later – usually when stuck in a Mercure. [Choice of hotel entirely down the the Autrian Tourist Board’s budget at the time, I assume.]

    • direttore says:

      13 Nov13 November 20:31

      I stayed in St James as a gold accor member in the spring.
      Service was excellent. Welcome was excellent.
      Room was upgraded one tier.
      Breakfast was a highlight.

      Was £450 a night for 2 nights mid-week.

      Last week I stayed at T5 as a now platinum member.
      Service was very good. Welcome excellent
      Welcome was excellent.
      Room was upgraded 2 tiers and the platinum lounge happy hour was run superbly.

      Used points and paid £25 including parking for 2 nights.

      Then I went to the Novotel in Canary Wharf.
      Got no upgrade, service was decent but not wow.
      But I enjoyed sitting in the sauna three days on the trot and love the view.

      (I’ve also done Pullman St Pancras, TRIBE, Novotel Wembley, Mercure Oxford/Paignton and a couple of IBIS places this year)

      Accor are all over the place. The key is to find the ones you like.

• tw33ty says:

  13 Nov13 November 15:08

  The more and more I travel for work, the more I realise just how bad the cp Sheffield is.

  It’s hotels like cp Sheffield and cp John Lennon that really destroy a brand.

  • Rob says:

    13 Nov13 November 15:24

    The problem with Sheffield is that someone decided that doing up the rooms was all that you needed to do to change to a CP. Other little issues like the weak breakfast, small dining room, small lobby, lack of business facilities etc etc didn’t seem to come into play when the decision was made. What you’ve now got is very modern bedrooms and a Victorian interior elsewhere.

    I have stayed there once since the swap (someone had punched a hole in the wall of my room which was an interesting feature) but the time before that I was at the HIX next door and perfectly content. Assuming I lose Diamond next month as expected then it will definitely be the HIX going forward.

    • tw33ty says:

      13 Nov13 November 16:07

      IIRC the hie and cp are owned by the same guy (along with a load of shoddy student properties in Sheffield), was it a case of loosing both hotels to another brand was a worse thought than having neither hotel?

  • ianM says:

    13 Nov13 November 16:06

    I stayed in the CP Sheffield last month and thought it was excellent value, breakfast was very nice indeed with great friendly service, and a lovely historic victorian railway hotel.
    Okay the elevator is like something out of the 20s and worryingly creaky but it’s only 3 storeys.

    • Rob says:

      13 Nov13 November 16:16

      I don’t think anyone is saying it doesn’t have charm, but it does have what you expect from a high(er) end business-focused hotel? Compared, say, to the Mercure, which is better in every way and even has a pool?

      • TD says:

        13 Nov13 November 16:29

        The two Sheffield Mercure hotels are an object lesson in inconsistency. The Mercure Kenwood Hall (not the one Rob is talking about) has nice grounds and great staff, but really, really needs renovation.

      • ianM says:

        13 Nov13 November 16:49

        Personally if I am using a hotel on a business trip I don’t have time to worry about swimming pools, it’s somewhere to sleep!

        In London I value an Executive lounge where I can sit and work during the day, so I love the Wembley Hilton, it’s £110 if there’s nothing on, great breakfast, accommodations, lounge, and just one stop on Metropolitan line to Baker St

        • direttore says:

          13 Nov13 November 20:40

          Anywhere else you like in London?

          Membership of Home Grown is looking rather attractive compared to trying to find somewhere to sit with a laptop. But I’m finding I spend less and less time with a laptop now. To the point where I don’t even take it into London any more.

• R2 says:

  13 Nov13 November 16:07

  The indigo rating was a surprise to me, I find them to be quite hit and miss. The one in Newcastle is truly the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. Yet, one of the Indigo’s in London – one of the best!

  • tw33ty says:

    13 Nov13 November 16:39

    The indigo in Newcastle, other than the small rooms, the hotel is nice, I’d say it’s more the area of the city it’s in and the target audience who stay.

    The indigo Cardiff is the same.

    Where as the indigo in Durham York and Stratford upon Avon are all excellent, Durham being the best.

    • RussellH says:

      13 Nov13 November 17:43

      Agree that the Indigo Stratford upon Avon is excellent (it was our base when looking to move house during covid) and it was a great price on points too.

      Indigo Newcastle we always found very pleasant – not least because the staff never seemed to understand that they were not supposed to give us breakfast included when we booked room only. Generally excellent breakfast too – some of it cooked to order.
      And I am sure that the rooms were significantly bigger than the CPs in Zürich, Gatwick and Manchester Airport

    • NorthernLass says:

      14 Nov14 November 11:38

      The Indigo Durham is fabulous. It’s more on a par with the Manchester Kimpton than the Newcastle Indigo.

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