Britannia Country House Hotel

We booked a double executive room this was infact similar to a travel lodge room with only one chair and too small for a second chair.
The toilet seat was loose, duvet was too heavy for a summer night though ideal for winter.
The meal was pretty awfull. roast potatoes are soft and spungy as if they had been roasted then left in a steamy area for a few hours, I like leeks but it`s normal to wash the soil from them prior to cooking them, If you buy wine for your meal you will not have much choice and no french wine is available. The barmaid despite her 20 years experiance was telling another customer that she had never heard of "bitters".
The dining area had several areas that seemed tobe sticky such as table tops and the area near to the carvery.
But I must say that ALL the staff are very polite and helpfull though the reception are seemed to be understaffed, I had the impression that the staff had been working long shifts and that the owners had made a decision not to invest in the hotel or staff.

I have often used hotels in the Britannia group when I have stayed as an able-bodied person on my own or with my daughters. In fact, I believe I have been on this website previously and defended to the hilt the Britannia North Stafford Hotel in Stoke when I have thought that peoples' expectations and comments have been unrealistic and unduly negative about their stay.
However, traveling with my disabled husband who is a wheelchair user has been a whole new experience for us at this particular hotel in the Britannia chain.
We needed a hotel close to Manchester as a stopover for a comedy gig at the MEN arena and were tempted by one of the frequent e-mail offers that had been sent and the fact that the hotel looked lovely and was something different to the rather "sterile" but perfectly decent and adequate rooms we have booked at Travelodge or Holiday Inn Express etc. Basically, since we were traveling so far from home, we wanted to make more of a weekend of it, and chose this hotel as we thought it would make a nice change.
When I booked our room, I was not able to take advantage of the offer that I had been sent after all - never mind. My husband drives a specially adapted people carrier from his wheelchair (I do not drive) which requires 8' clearance to the side to allow the ramp to come out and access into/out of the car. I asked if there were spaces in the car park - not necessarily near the front of the hotel but a place that would allow this necessity. I was assured by the person who made the booking that, not only was this fine, that they would reserve one and a half spaces somewhere especially for us and made notes on the booking to this effect.
When we arrived and as we pulled into the long drive, the grounds looked beautiful, but we began to feel concerned as there were cars parked literally everywhere and there was no indication as to where the disabled parking might be.
My husband dropped me off so that I could check-in and find our parking space, but the girl who checked me in, even though she was very pleasant, was completely uninterested in the parking issue and merely indicated to the area designated for disabled drivers and said that "it was a good job we had arrived early as it was going to get busier later". When I remarked that we needed a space reserved as we wouldn't be able to get in or out of the car, she just smiled sweetly and got on with something else.
The area that this hotel has put aside for disabled drivers was just that - an area that did not have properly marked out parking spaces and on very uneven ground. Consequently, all of the area was filled with blue badge holding cars - but presumably none that needed extra wide access to accommodate getting wheelchairs in and out.
We eventually found somewhere in an unmade up parking area a long way from the hotel which was neither conducive to our car's lowered suspension - nor for a wheelchair user if they needed to be pushed.
When we left in the evening for our trip to the MEN, we had to use our own bollards/cones to keep the space we had vacated - which had disappeared when we had got back so the whole process of finding another suitable space had to start again - this time it was even further away from the hotel and late at night when we were both tired and irritated.
The hotel is large - but there is only one small lift which was not big enough for me to accompany my husband inside. This lift had a life of its own and seemed to go up and down of its own volition, but it was because it kept being called by people and we had to wait for over 5 minutes for it to arrive at one point. On another occasion, a member of the cleaning staff was inside with her trolley when the door opened and did not have the courtesy to get out and allow us as guests - and a wheelchair user at that, priority. The staff have to use the lift because of the equipment they need, so why not install a service lift?
Why not have the rooms for disabled people on the ground floor? There was a huge notice saying that in the event of a fire that the lift should not be used - which basically means that anyone with mobility problems is toast if fire broke out!
The room we stayed in was clean ad pleasant enough, but the furniture was set out so that my husband could not get about in his chair so I had to move chairs etc about.
There was only a bath in the en suite with only 2 grab rails fitted in not very helpful or sensible places. I myself, fell quite heavily and bruised my arm very badly trying to get out as there was nothing at the side to hold onto.
Why not have wetrooms in the disabled rooms with either wetchairs or pull-down plastic seats? Surely this would be much more sensible with very little extra costs?
We had a very disturbed night as the other guests were noisy too - not the fault of the hotel but just something else to consider.
One last comment about the room was that there was no remote control for the TV. The duty manager at the time did try and find one that was compatible for the TV in our room and was very apologetic when he couldn't sort it out for us, but really, no remote control in a disabled person's room?!!!
Finally, our last bone of contention was the hotel bar. This was set in a recessed "dip" in the floor which you had to go down a few stairs to get to. There was no ramp so my husband was unable to order drinks for us - being an old-fashioned type of guy, this is still something he likes to be able to do for me!
The hotel is very plush looking and is a very interesting building, but it is very large and busy. There was a wedding taking place on the Saturday which we stayed which may have made it even more packed. I may have enjoyed staying there under different circumstances.
I think the hotel has probably evolved as an airport hotel - a cheap way to stay overnight and leave your car for free whilst you are away instead of paying for high parking charges at the airport - certainly the cars that had parked in the disabled area did not move all the time that we were there.
My advice generally if you have mobility problems is not to bother going to this hotel - don't even think about going on your own even if you are a very independent wheelchair user.
I have written to the hotel about our experience, and the Britannia head office. I have received a letter back and the hotel manager regrets that we did not enjoy our stay, but the tone of the letter more or less states that that is the way things are at this hotel and that car parking spaces cannot be reserved.
Well, thank you very much Britannia Country House Hotel Manchester! We won't bother to stay with you again and we are now reluctant to try any others in the chain!
Sorry, Inn Keeper's Lodge, Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn Express - we deserted you when we should have known better! We will never stray from your welcoming arms again

2 readers found this review helpful

I had to put a comment on as nobody seemed to say one nice thing about this place!
Perhaps we were very lucky as we didn't have a problem at all. The drive up is beautiful and the reception is pretty nice with restaurant/bar etc-not that we used it as it was simply somewhere to crash before catching the plane and it does just that at value for money. We had the kids so had a family room on the second floor, it was a little dated but huge. The room was clean and so was the en-suite with tea/coffee facilities and a TV. We passed some other airport hotels on the way and I have to say I was glad we were not in any of those! My parents travelled with us and got a double on the first floor and they were not so impressed I have to say as ours was double the size and a lot nicer so I acept that we were probably fortunate but if you go with an open mind and accept its better than waking up at stupid o'clock to get to the airport then it's fine.
The bus collects you and it is literally 5 mins from the airport, it was a very relaxing start to our holiday and I would go again. If you are happy to pay an extra £50-£100 to stay in a better airport hotel then do it, but to stay here and park your car for 2 weeks is as cheap as parking alone so we were happy with it. Only one niggle I had was that although it is great that the airport transfer coach is free it is 24hrs and as our room was at the front that's all I heard all night so didn't get a lot of sleep-but I was looking forward to our holiday so much perhaps I wouldn't have slept anyway!

1 reader found this review helpful

Where do I start? Well firstly arrived at the hotel, looked ok from the outside. As soon as I walked through the entrance I had a bad feeling about the hotel. Secondly, I had booked 2 double rooms and they only confirmed we had booked 1. That was then sorted; arrived at room and the bed covers were stained;changed rooms, had a choice of 2 EXECUTIVE SUITES, so I chose room 160. After putting down bags checked the room, the sofa had stains on it and the window sill also. It now gets worse (HEALTH AND A SAFETY A MAJOR!). The toilet had human excrement all around the inside rim, the neck of the toilet had dried urine all down it, quite apparent nothing gets cleaned!
I then took a shower as we were getting ready to go out and then my sister went for a shower. Next thing I heard screams, she found (on the neatly presented towels (which were on top of mine, I had now used) HUMAN EXCREMENT, yes HUMAN EXCREMENT!
We tried to call reception but nobody at reception, we had to call from our own mobiles to get thorugh, as they clearly ignore guests. (AN HOUR LATER) There was no ironing facilities and the hair dryer did not work! The duty mangager changed the fuse but the dryer was very temperamental changing speeds by its own choice, overheating with a burning smell. There was no appliance check date on the dryer. NEED I SAY ANYMORE?
BE WARNED! I am taking this furhter to get this hotle closed down as I have read other reviews and they are very , very low.
Something must be done about this hotel, no refund was given, no complimentary service. Nothing!

I read previews on this hotel unfortunately after booking, but nevertheless decided to judge for myself. Sure enough the approach to the hotel and grounds were impressive and reception area and bar looked ok.
We asked for a non smoking room to be told only executive rooms were non smoking. We were given a room at the rear no.40 which stank of tobacco, had loose floorboards and later in the night became very noisy due to the sound of the central heating pump that the bed seemed to be situated above.
All in all not a very pleasant stay at all, even at the cheap price we paid. Never again.

Disgusting hotel beware!
The only reason I have given this hotel 1 out of 10 is because you can't choose 0.
This is a poor excuse for a hotel. I would challenge the proprietor of this hotel to spend one night in a "standard" room. We were given room 216 which was small, old fashioned and dark. This wasn't the worst though. When you opened the room door the smell of smoke, dampness, sweat, and god knows what else mixed with a pungent cheap air freshener hit you like a wall. I really don't know how anyone could stay in it.
We immediately went to reception and asked for a different room. We were told the new room was one of their best. I have to admit it was not the hell hole the first had been and was around 3 times the size but was still unclean, smelly, and dark.
The worrying thing was the room had bunk beds in it so must have been meant for families. I wouldn't let my dog sleep in those beds let alone my children. We didn't sleep a wink and couldn't get out of the place fast enough. I wished we'd slept in the car.
By the way the "secure car parking" is actually a field with no lighting or security and we later found out that it is known to locals as bin bag city as so many cars are broken into and have their windows covered over with black bin bags. The pits!!

Absolutely dreadful. Tiny, shabby rooms. Toe nails on the bedroom carpet. No towels on day two.
A wake-up call at five-thirty, which hadn't been booked, and maids banging on the door at 7.30. That was after waiting two hours to get a room key because they lost the booking, and long queues in reception because they had over-booked.
The car park is basically long-term parking for Manchester airport - hundreds of cars left while people are on holiday - we took 15 minutes to find somewhere to park and then had a very long walk to reception in the rain.

A group of 48 gardeners stayed one night at The Britannia Country House Hotel on tour, on 14th July 2007. We were greeted by thick smoke at the entrance door where smokers from the wedding party and the 21st birthday party had assembled. The floor was covered with fag ends and litter. The Receptionist was efficient. Two less able guests were ushered around the corner to find their way to a less than adequate lift which carried just one person plus a suitcase; it was in a filthy state and not at all safe looking so they dragged their suitcases up to the third floor. The horror was only just beginning! Of 26 rooms booked, 2 were changed immediately but this still resulted in 26 complaints. The rooms were smelly, dirty, sticky, small, old fashioned, had unwashed and torn bedding, shabby windows and secondary double glazing didn`t work, flies were hanging in net curtains, in one room occupied by a GP there was faeces on the tiles, no toilet paper in the bathroom etc. The corridors and stairways were unclean with food and drink splashes over walls and pictures. Many of the staff are low paid College and University students and their lack of training showed. The restaurant was dark, had loud piped music, had food, and drink splashed on the walls. Staff were surly, untrained, unprofessional, and shabby. The food was adequate, not attractive, and served without a smile! Whatever else happens Travelscope should not use this hotel again.

Arrived at 0145 reception piled high with around 40 pizza boxes that were feeding the gang of bouncers that were checking in. We were given our key and told to make our through the corridors and upstairs to the room.
We asked for assistance with our luggage and were given a trolley. As we made our way through the corridors we had to dodge drunken youths, discarded beer glasses etc. The youths seemed to have run of the hotel as they congregated in the corridors and stairwells while some raced up and down stairs and others were tangled in a drunken brawl in an open emergency exit. The room was grotty; very old wallpaper, small uncomfortable bed and a bathroom that was crawling in flies and other insects as the window has been left open.
We complained and were offered a second room, that was almost as bad. When we complained about the drunken youths in the corridors and the noise they were making we were told that security (one young man) was dealing with it. We expressed our dissatisfaction and asked for a refund but were told by the ‘manager’ that we would have to write in to the hotel as they couldn’t authorise a refund.

Where do I start?
On arrival the receptionist was not very friendly at all, no greeting or customer service skills whatsoever, when we got to our room we were shocked. Its was tiny, the wallpaper looked like it was put up in 1970, the curtains were old and drab, the bathroom was dirty and old and looked like it was falling apart, there were bars on the window as we were on the ground floor.
The bed was extremely small and close to the floor. We were staying for two nights and the thought of having to sleep in that room really put a dampener on the whole weekend. We asked for a change of room later on that day and were given one no questions asked, maybe this happens a lot as they didn’t seem bothered that we were not happy with the room. Our new room was a slight improvement, it had the token 1970's wallpaper and the bed was very low and small, as was the whole room. The bathroom was dirty and the shower was luke warm and also very old.
We decided to have dinner in the hotel on the first night which was a carvery style idea, there was not much variety and the food was luke warm. The whole time we were sitting there I didn’t see them bring out fresh food once, and we were there for over an hour. When the waitress brought our wine out she plonked it on the table and off she went to talk to another staff member, no "there you go, enjoy your meal" or even pouring our wine for us. At the end of the meal we decided to order cheese and biscuits, which we waited 20 minutes for as we were about to leave thinking they had just forgot about us the waiter brought them over.
When he did bring them over he didn’t bring any plates or knives so we had to wait another 10 minutes trying to get his attention which we failed to do so, so had to go and ask another waitress. When he eventually brought the knife over he brought us one. He didn’t offer any apology for the wait that we had or utter one word.
You pay on your way out of the restaurant to a lady sitting behind a desk with a cash register. When we approached her to pay she was busy and did not look up or even acknowledge we were there for at least 5 minutes. When she did there was no small talk, no customer service, no "did you enjoy your meal"!
Luckily enough we had things planned so didn’t really spend much time in the Hotel. When we checked out the receptionist didn’t even look up at us when we were handing our key in, obviously too busy for customers.
All in all it was one of the worst places I have ever stayed, the rooms were small, dingy and dirty. The staff have obviously had no training in customer service or just don’t have any manners whatsoever. You would have to pay me to stay there again!