Pontins worst UK holiday park in Which? survey, as small and independent brands trounce household names
Which? surveyed over 1,700 people about their experiences at UK holiday parks in the last two years, asking them to rate their stays on eleven criteria, including quality of accommodation, customer service, cleanliness, facilities and activities, and value for money. An overall customer score was then calculated based on overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend.
Pontins took last place with a customer score of just 56 per cent. Founded in 1946, Pontins is one of the UK’s most iconic holiday park brands, but it has faced a troubled recent history. Taken over in 2011 by Britannia – the worst-rated firm in Which?’s annual hotel chains survey for the past 11 years - the last 12 months have seen multiple sites suddenly close, including those at Camber Sands, Prestatyn Sands and Southport. It now has just two remaining sites.
Pontins earned a run of two-star ratings for customer service, quality of accommodation, cleanliness, variety of free facilities, quality of facilities and activities, food and drink and value for money. Its highest score of three stars were for communication and the quality of entertainment. One unhappy visitor described their accommodation as “dirty and dated”, while another complained the facilities were “filthy and run down”.
Pontins was far from the only big-name brand which failed to live up to expectations. Longstanding rival Butlin’s also found itself in the bottom five, with a customer score of 67 per cent – just ahead of Park Holidays UK (66%), Away Resorts (64%) and Largo Leisure Parks (64%).
Guests at Butlin’s were underwhelmed by the customer service on offer, rating it just two stars, and were also left disappointed by the food and drink. One respondent said the meals on offer were “basic and not good quality”.
It fared better in other areas however, receiving three stars in key categories including quality of accommodation and cleanliness, and four for the quality and variety of children’s activities and entertainment, proving that the brand’s famous redcoats can still deliver. One happy visitor summed up, “We love Butlin’s, they cater for all the family.”
Just above Butlin’s in the table, Haven Holiday Parks and Center Parcs tied with a customer score of 69 per cent.
The most visited brand in Which?’s survey, Center Parcs received largely favourable reviews but ultimately failed to deliver on value for money, receiving just two stars in this category, as well as for the variety of free facilities on offer. Survey respondents reported spending an average of £76 per person per night, making it the most expensive option not to include food or drinks in the price (as is the case for slightly pricier Potters Resorts and Warner Leisure).
One respondent said “the overall holiday was good, but everything was so expensive” while another complained that “activities should be included in the price.” It received four stars for overall customer service, communication, quality of accommodation, cleanliness, and the quality of facilities and activities and for the quality and variety of children’s activities.
Haven received a mix of three and two star ratings, including three stars for overall customer service, quality of accommodation and value for money.
Beating household names to the top of the table was Potters Resorts, with a customer score of 87 per cent, followed by Which? Recommended Provider Forest Holidays in second place with a customer score of 80 per cent.
Operating for over 100 years, Potters has two all-inclusive resorts in Essex and Norfolk offering a range of accommodation styles and live entertainment. Visitors awarded Potters the full five stars for the variety of free facilities on offer, the quality of facilities and activities, the quality of the entertainment and communication, as well as four stars for overall customer service, food and drink, value for money and quality of accommodation. However, it narrowly missed out on Which? Recommended Provider status due to its cancellation terms.*
With 13 locations across England, Wales and Scotland, Forest Holidays offers woodland stays with hot tubs in a range of accommodation from cabins to treehouses. The brand received four stars for the quality of accommodation, cleanliness, overall customer service, communication and quality of facilities and activities. Respondents were effusive about their stays, with one saying it was a “brilliant outdoor family holiday with plenty of things to do”.
Tied in third place with a customer score of 77 per cent were Which? Recommended Provider Bluestone Wales and John Fowler Holiday Parks.Customers were full of praise for Bluestone Wales’ “amazing” resort, which is nestled in the beautiful Pembrokeshire countryside. Respondents awarded it four stars for overall customer service, singling out the “accommodating staff” who were “ready for anything at any time”, as well as four stars for the quality of accommodation, cleanliness, quality of facilities, and quality of entertainment.
Among the other high-scoring firms, just two others, Hoburne Holidays (75%) and Waterside Holiday Group (74%), were awarded prestigious Which? Recommend Provider Status.
Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said:
“Holiday parks have been a mainstay of British holidays for decades, but with so many options to choose from it isn’t always easy to know which will be the right fit for your family.
“Our latest survey shows that it's worth looking beyond the best-known names, with smaller and independent resorts offering excellent value for money, great customer service and plenty of onsite entertainment. Whether you’re after an all-inclusive break, a luxury treehouse with a hot tub or a more budget friendly break, our Which? Recommended Providers are a great place to start your research.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
The results are based on an online survey of 1,717 adults - members of the Which? Connect panel and members of the public - conducted between March and April 2024. In all, 2,255 responses were recorded.
*Though Potter’s Resorts took first place in the survey, it missed out on Which? Recommended Provider status owing to its cancellation policy, which offers no refunds to those cancelling within 8 weeks of their booking.
Full table of results for best and worst holiday parks can be found HERE. Sample sizes in brackets. ‘-’ means not enough responses to include a star rating.
Rights of Reply:
A spokesperson for Center Parcs said:
“Center Parcs offers unique family short breaks in the UK. We welcome over 2 million guests to our villages annually, and we are 97% full all through the year. We are proud of our consistently high guest satisfaction scores and over 60% of guests will go on to make another booking with us. Our guests demand a high quality experience and each year we invest tens of millions of pounds improving our villages to ensure we meet their expectations.”
Butlin’s did not respond to requests for comment.
Pontins did not respond to requests for comment.
About Which?
Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.
The information in this press release is for editorial use by journalists and media outlets only. Any business seeking to reproduce information in this release should contact the Which? Endorsement Scheme team at endorsementscheme@which.co.uk.