Britannia Hotels

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Britannia Hotels Limited
Private
Industry Hotels & Hospitality
Headquarters Hale, Greater Manchester, England
Number of locations
 51 hotels across the UK
Key people
 Alex Langsam CEO
Robert Ferrari CFO
Eileen Downey
Products Hotels and property development
Services Conference room hire, banqueting functions, health club membership
Revenue Increase £55.448m (2011)[1]
Increase £8.752m (2011)
Increase £8.138m (2011)
Owner A.Langsam
Hawksford Trust Company Jersey Limited
Number of employees
 1,393
Subsidiaries Britannia Adelphi Hotel Ltd
Birmingham International Hotel Ltd
Ambassador Hotels (Bournemouth) Ltd
Ambassador (East Cliff) Ltd
Britannia Hotel Bolton Ltd
Britannia Hotel Leeds Ltd
Britannia Country House Hotel Ltd
Britannia Hotel Edinburgh Ltd
Britannia Hotel Wolverhampton Ltd
Website www.britanniahotels.com

Britannia Hotels is a United Kingdom based hotel group with 51 hotels across the country. It includes the Pontins Holiday Park portfolio. Britannia operates at the budget end of the market with hotels varying in price and star ratings.

Overview

Britannia Hotels was founded in 1976 with the purchase of the Britannia Country House Hotel in Didsbury, Manchester. Its Chief Executive, founder, and largest shareholder remains Alex Langsam. Langsam is a non-domiciled taxpayer, registered as living in Austria for tax-purposes since 1999.[2] His net personal worth was valued at £90 million in 2013 by The Sunday Times.[3]

Its head office is based in the old town hall in Hale, Manchester. A large cluster of the company's hotels are located in and around Manchester.

In January 2011, the company bought North West holiday camp business Pontins out of administration in a £18.5m deal which safeguarded about 1,000 jobs. Following the acquisition Britannia had to deal with a series of complaints.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

In the 10 years from 2005 to 2015 the Group enjoyed its most rapid period of expansion acquiring 23 hotels - the most recent including The Palace Hotel in Buxton and The Basingstoke Country Hotel acquired from The Hotel Collection [16][17] and the Trecarn Hotel Torquay [18] and Cavendish Hotel in Eastbourne.

In 2008 as part of the Capital of Culture celebrations, a musical based on the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, written and directed by Phil Willmott, Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi ran at the Liverpool Playhouse from 30 June until 2 August.[19]

In early 2014 Michael Palin and Mark Addy were filmed within the Grand Scarbrough Hotel for scenes for the BBC drama Remember Me.[20]

Controversies

In the mid-1980s, Alex Langsam, owner of the Britannia Hotel Group, acquired the Grade II* listed London Road Fire Station in Manchester. Proposals have been made to redevelop it into a hotel and offices, however the plans have been delayed. In 2006 it was placed on English Heritage's register of "at risk" historical buildings.[21] The city council has attempted to compulsorily purchase the building[22] but on 29 November 2011, it was rejected.[23]

In 2005 and 2006 the Grand Hotel in Scarborough and the Adelphi were investigated by the BBC over theft and hygiene.[24][25]

In 2007 the Britannia hotel in Stockport was listed on TripAdvisor as among Britain's dirtiest.[26] Whilst others have been prosecuted, for example Coventry [27] and the Britannia Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool.[28] In November 2015, the Liverpool Echo investigated a guest's complaints about the Adelphi[29]

In 2013 the chain was successfully prosecuted for putting guests and construction workers at risk of asbestos fibre exposure at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone.[30]

Awards/Nominations

  • In 2011 Britannia won the category of 'Most Group-Friendly Hotel Chain or Group' in the Group Travel Awards.[31]
  • In 2013 Pontins was awarded the UKCSI Award for Most Improved Organisation at the 2013 UK Customer Satisfaction Awards.[32] Alongside Butlins and Expedia, Pontins continued this success by improving their scores by more than one point in the 2015 UK Institute of Customer Service Survey.[33]
  • According to Which? Britannia Hotels scored the lowest customer satisfaction score of British hotel chains in 2013 and 2014, with a score of 33% in 2014.[34][35]

References

  1. ↑ Britannia Hotels Ltd, Annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2011
  2. ↑ http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/hotel-boss-alex-langsam-loses-800185
  3. ↑ https://www.thecaterer.com/#/articles/348222
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mg74/features/pontins-camber-sands
  8. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2VhLqbv5SDyD31FtNvVdN5b/pontins-putting-razzle-dazzle-before-health-and-safety
  9. ↑ http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/pontins-mass-brawl-southport-holiday-9026245
  10. ↑ http://www.eadt.co.uk/business/pakefield_holiday_firm_pontins_rapped_over_misleading_accommodation_advertising_1_2357036
  11. ↑ http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/pontins-prestayn-chalet-dirty-beyond-7707529
  12. ↑ http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Family-s-Pontins-misery-holiday-hell/story-20083837-detail/story.html
  13. ↑ https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/judgments/pontins-sentencing-remarks-04042012/
  14. ↑ http://www.qcompliance.co.uk/pontins-holiday-park-breach-health-safety-disastrous-consequences/
  15. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxbg-pLnI0c
  16. ↑ http://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local/new-owners-for-landmark-buxton-hotel-1-7308704
  17. ↑ http://www.christie.com/en/news/2015/06/15/britannia_hotels_continues_expansion_with_two_hotel_acquisitions_18465
  18. ↑ http://www.rustourismnews.com/?p=45567
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Alex Langsam Breaks Silence Manchester Confidential Sept 9, 2010
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/yorkslincs/series7/dirty_hotel.shtml
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-30533792
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-adelphi-hotel-guest-disgusted-10482956#rlabs=1%20rt$category%20p$1
  30. ↑ http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/news/450963-britannia-hotels-slammed-over-asbestos-case.html
  31. ↑ http://grouptravelawards.com/2011-results/
  32. ↑ https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/167-10666/UK-Customer-Satisfaction-Awards---winners-announced.html
  33. ↑ https://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/17439/Customers-will-pay-for-excellent-service-in-the-tourism-sector.html
  34. ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2809363/Britannia-Hotels-named-worst-chain-UK-according-holidaymakers-Sofitel-Premier-Inn-given-honours.html
  35. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/britannia-hotels-is-the-worst-chain-in-uk-satisfaction-survey-finds-9818630.html

External links

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