Which? Travel trusted travel advice
Who to book with, how to get the best deals and inspiring destination ideas from the experts. £4.99 a month, or £49 annually
Join Which? TravelCancel anytime.
By clicking a retailer link you consent to third-party cookies that track your onward journey. This enables W? to receive an affiliate commission if you make a purchase, which supports our mission to be the UK's consumer champion.
Best UK hotel chains – and the ones to swerve in 2025
Thousands of guests in our latest survey told us these two British pub and tavern chains were better to stay in than Premier Inn and Travelodge
In this article
- The best UK hotel chains according to customers
- Compare the best and worst large hotel chains in the UK
- The large hotel chains that Which? recommends
- Compare the best and worst small and medium hotel chains in the UK
- Great Value small hotel chains
- How the scores were calculated for best UK hotel chains
- Is Premier Inn or Travelodge better?
As hotel prices continue to soar, only two large UK hotel chains earned more than three stars for value for money in our most recent survey (July 2025). And neither of them was Premier Inn.
For the best-value big-chain stays, our survey found you’ll need to look to provincial pub chains. The Coaching Inn Group, which has 36 locations across England and Wales, came top of the table with a whopping 81% customer score and an average rate of £128 per night.
Wetherspoon Hotels wasn’t far behind, with a 76% customer score and a bargain average rate of just £70 per night. Premier Inn’s average rate was £94 per night.
However, for the best UK hotel stays and the highest star ratings across the board, take a look at the small and medium-sized hotel chains. Top-scorer Andrew Brownsword Hotels received five-star ratings in almost every category for its classic country house hotels.
For more expertly researched destination ideas and unbiased travel advice and recommendations, subscribe to Which? Travel
The best UK hotel chains according to customers
We don't rate UK hotel chains – our members do. The scores are based on opinions of real stays that took place between July 2023 and July 2025.
The best large hotel chains in the UK
Recommended Provider
The Coaching Inn Group
Characterful inns in lovely settings, with great customer service.
Average price per night £128
81%
1
of 32 large hotel chains ranked
The best small/medium hotel chain in the UK
Recommended Provider
Andrew Brownsword Hotels
You won’t get more classic than the Brownsword brand. A real treat.
Average price per night £272
83%
1
of 20 small hotel chains ranked
Compare the best and worst large hotel chains in the UK
| 81% | £128 | |||||||||
(32) | 80% | £326 | - | |||||||
| 79% | £115 | |||||||||
(84) | 78% | £278 | - | |||||||
| 76% | £70 | |||||||||
(154) | 73% | £136 | ||||||||
(2746) | 73% | £94 |
Based on a survey of 4,631 Connect panel members who have stayed in a UK hotel chain for leisure purposes in the past two years, carried out in June/July 2025. Sample sizes in brackets. Large hotel chains have more than 30 hotels worldwide. A dash (-) shows that we didn't have a large enough sample size to give a rating. WRP Which? Recommended Provider: based on customer score and other criteria. Average price Mean lowest rate per double room per night at three locations for each calendar month. Customer score Combines overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommending.
The large hotel chains that Which? recommends
The Coaching Inn Group 81%
Average price per night £128
Set in historic buildings in attractive market towns or other scenic spots, The Coaching Inn’s hotels are a cut above. They’re not all pubs. The Manor in Blakeney, for example, is a 17th-century manor house with beautiful grounds, while the Castle of Brecon in Powys was once a Norman Fortress. What ties them together is a high-quality stay, great food and five-star customer service.
One guest told us: ‘Hotels are usually in an interesting and historic building in a good location. Staff are also interesting (and interested), there’s good parking, good food and a lovely atmosphere.’
Verdict Characterful inns in lovely settings, with great customer service.
Book a room at The Coaching Inn Group
Hotel Indigo 79%
Average price per night £115
Although part of the global IHG chain, Hotel Indigo feels anything but. Most of its 18 UK hotels are in tastefully converted heritage properties, including a former power station in Glasgow and a Victorian department store in Exeter.
Rooms and communal areas are stylish, with decor that nods to the building and the area’s heritage.
Guests were impressed by the helpful staff, great breakfasts and city centre locations, and the chain earned five-star ratings for cleanliness, bed comfort and customer service.
Verdict Classy mid-range hotels packed with personality – and at a reasonable price.
J D Wetherspoon Hotels 76%
Average price per night £70
Slip behind the slot machines in many Wetherspoon pubs and you’ll find a welcome sanctuary from the hubbub downstairs.
Rooms tend to be spacious, stylish and, crucially, silent. Several readers told us they're like ‘another world’ and ‘an oasis of peace’.
They are also clean. This year’s improved four-star cleanliness rating made the chain eligible to be a Which? Recommended Provider for the first time.
And at £70 per night, on average, its rooms offer exceptional value. Breakfast isn’t included (save for unlimited tea and coffee), but you’ll pay only around £5.99 for a full English.
Verdict Convenient locations, characterful buildings and good value
Book a room at J D Wetherspoon Hotels
Compare the best and worst small and medium hotel chains in the UK
| 83% | £272 | |||||||||
| 83% | £244 | |||||||||
| 82% | £219 | |||||||||
| 82% | £338 | - | ||||||||
| 81% | £209 | |||||||||
| 80% | £112 | |||||||||
| 80% | £136 |
Based on a survey of 1,776 members of the general public who have stayed in a UK hotel chain for leisure purposes in the last two years, carried out in June/July 2025. Sample sizes in brackets. Small hotel chains have fewer than 30 hotels worldwide. A dash (-) shows that we didn't have a large enough sample size to give a rating. WRP Which? Recommended Provider: based on customer score and other criteria. Average price Mean lowest rate per double room per night at three locations for each calendar month. Customer score Combines overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommending.
This year's results for small hotel chains, which include those with 30 or fewer hotels worldwide, show that luxury stays and classic country house hotels with excellent customer service come out top.
Andrew Brownsword Hotels 83%
Average price per night £272
This collection of classic country house hotels offers luxurious stays in idyllic pockets of the English countryside. Think impeccably striped lawns, waistcoat-clad waiters and the odd turret.
Some of the finest examples include Gidleigh Park, a half-timbered mansion on the edge of Dartmoor, and the Cotswolds’ Minster Mill with its stylish riverbank Garden Spa set among the weeping willows and croquet lawns.
Guests loved their stays, enthusing about ‘elegant period surroundings’, the ‘high-quality food’ and ‘friendly home-from-home customer service’. The chain received an almost clean sweep of five-star ratings (only value for money dropped a star).
Verdict You won’t get more classic than the Brownsword brand. A real treat.
Book a room at an Andrew Brownsword Hotel
Brend Hotels 83%
Average price per night £244
This family-run chain has nine properties in Devon and Cornwall, including the Art Deco icon, the Saunton Sands Hotel.
Each property is different. The adults-only Belmont in Sidmouth, for example, is a beachfront Victorian summer residence, whereas the Barnstaple Hotel is a modern, family-friendly option.
But it’s the good, old-fashioned service that really makes Brend’s well-run hotels stand out. As one guest told us: ‘The whole experience is good, from the minute we walk through the door until checkout.’
Verdict The warmest welcome in the West Country
Heading to the seaside? Read our seaside hotel reviews – we checked in secretly to bring you honest and impartial reviews you can trust.
Hand Picked Hotels 82%
Average price per night £219
Each of the 21 Hand Picked Hotels, located throughout the UK and Channel Islands, is specially selected for its individual character. Take Fawsley Hall in Northamptonshire, for example – it could be a castle, with its ornate stonework and magnificent Tudor Great Hall.
Ancient buildings like this are notoriously difficult and expensive to maintain, but the chain more than manages it, with five-star ratings for cleanliness and descriptions that match reality.
Survey respondents described stays as ‘pure luxury’ and praised the ‘good food, stylish public areas and lovely grounds’.
Verdict Four-poster beds meet state-of-the-art spas and swish contemporary dining.
Book a room at Hand Picked Hotels
Montcalm Hotels 82%
Average price per night £338
The Montcalm Collection is an independent group of luxury boutique hotels, including grand Georgian townhouses, located in central London.
Each property is distinct. The Montcalm at The Brewery London City, for example, is housed in the Grade II listed former 18th-century headquarters of the Whitbread Brewery, while Montcalm East is a futuristic tower with distinctive diagonal windows, a few steps from Old Street station.
Guests told us that the service was ‘impeccable’ and the facilities were ‘amazing’, giving five-star ratings for the bedrooms, bathrooms and overall cleanliness.
Verdict Expect tech-equipped rooms and serene spas with a central London postcode.
Book a room at Montcalm Hotels
Dakota Hotels 81%
Average price per night £209
This collection of sleek, design-led hotels offers a luxurious stay in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.
Known for its dramatic dark tones and chic cocktail bars, the chain has an exclusive members’ club feel, and its signature Grill restaurants are praised as dining spots in their own right.
Guests were impressed by the ‘delicious food and drink’, the ‘excellent service’ and the ‘stylish decor and ambience’.
Verdict Grown-up stays in urban and airport locations.
Great Value small hotel chains
Abode Hotels 80%
Average price per night £112
If you’re visiting Canterbury or Chester, you won’t find a better-value chain in prime city-centre locations.
Abode is the cheapest small hotel chain in our survey, and we found rates as low as £63 per night. For that, you’ll get four-star bed comfort and four-star bathrooms, in stylish buildings.
Most guests thought it was a steal. ‘The room was comfortable, the staff were friendly and everything was top notch,’ one told us.
Verdict Convenient locations at affordable rates. It’s just a shame there aren’t more of them.
Classic Lodges 80%
Average price per night £136
There are 14 Classic Lodges located throughout the UK, in picturesque and historic locations such as Harrogate and the shore of Lake Windermere.
Guests enthused about the ‘comfortable rooms’ and ‘excellent breakfast’, both of which received five stars in our survey.
Better still, at £136 per night, it was one of the cheaper brands in our small hotel chain survey.
Verdict Characterful country houses and coaching inns, great locations and affordable rates.
How the scores were calculated for best UK hotel chains
Lauren Bell, Which? travel senior researcher/content editor says:
'We don't rate UK hotel chains – our members do – so the scores are based on opinions of real stays that took place between July 2022 and July 2023. Individual areas, such as bed comfort, are rated by members (which create the star ratings), but they also tell us how likely they are to recommend the brand and how satisfied they were with their stay. These two scores are combined to create the overall customer score. We report scores, both good and bad, regardless of external pressures, and it's this editorial independence that makes Which? unique.'
Is Premier Inn or Travelodge better?
According to Which? members, Premier Inn is still far superior.
Members gave Travelodge a subpar 59% customer score, as well as two-star ratings for its bedrooms, bathrooms and breakfast. It’s telling that despite costing just £69 per night on average, Travelodge also got a two-star rating for value for money.
Meanwhile, Premier Inn received a much more impressive 73% customer score. It may have slipped down the ratings somewhat in recent years, but you’ll still find five-star bed comfort and an average price of just £94 per night.
There are better options available than Premier Inn and Travelodge, but if you're in a part of the country where these are the only choices, Premier Inn is by far the better stay.