'I stayed at Manchester's Britannia Hotel - one thing made me want check out asap'

For 11 years, Britannia was voted the UK's worst hotel chain, according to consumer group Which?. The chain has several hotels in Manchester, with Sacha's and Britannia Hotel Manchester being some of the city centre's most complained-about hotels on TripAdvisor.

So, with an overnight stay in Manchester planned in the run up to Christmas, I booked a room at the Britannia Hotel on one of the busiest nights of the year to see what all the fuss was about.

The Britannia Hotel Manchester has been a city centre feature since the chain bought the prominent Grade II* listed Watts Warehouse building on Portland Street in 1979. A grand piece of Victorian architecture, walking past the war memorial at its entrance, through the lofty neo-classical archway, and into the lobby is a treat for the eyes.

We were directed by a security guard to the check-in desk. I'm surprised by the short queue, mainly as it's a Friday evening, two weeks before Christmas. This is the night many will have chosen to have their work Christmas night out in a canny attempt to swerve the officially named Mad Friday of the following week.

A small, slightly obnoxious group of lads in front checking in are handled with good grace by polite staff, and I soon pick up two key cards and pre-order breakfast without fuss. The room is on the fifth floor, and although we're tempted to lug our bags just to climb the impressive central staircase, we opt to squeeze ourselves into the one small working lift.

As we walk into our double room, it soon becomes apparent that while the façade and lobby area of the hotel, with its wide sweeping staircase and crystal chandeliers, project a reassuring face of classical luxury - the room itself was a different beast.

First impressions