These Hotels Let You Stay In 11th-Century Ruins And Historic Country Inns – And They’ve Just Been Named The UK’s Best Large Hotel Chain

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Spend any time travelling around the UK and you’ll realise that half the battle is finding somewhere affordable to stay. Many of us opt for the simple and usually affordable comfort of a well-known budget hotel. But it turns out that there are often better (and cheaper!) places we could be staying. Which? recently released its comprehensive guide to hotels in the UK, and one clandestine group that you might not have heard of was recognised as the UK’s best hotel chain.

Sure, if you’ve got cash to splash, you’re likely opting for an ultra-bougie spot, such as one of London’s world-class hotels. But if you’re looking for maximum bang for your buck, Which? has you sorted. Their recent ranking of UK hotel chains encompasses large chains as well as smaller hotel groups. And they’ve crowned the relatively unknown The Coaching Inn Group the UK’s best large hotel chain. On the other end of the scale, the Andrew Brownsword Hotels group was recognised as the country’s best small or medium hotel chain.

The rankings come from looking at data from Which? members, taking into account “real stays that took place between July 2023 and July 2025”. There are no bots inflating the numbers or spam reviews to weed out. Each chain was given a score that took into account factors such as bed comfort, stay satisfaction, price, cleanliness, customer service, and more.

The Coaching Inn Group

With a whopping 81% customer score and an average price of £128, The Coaching Inn Group handily took the top spot. Since these venues don’t emblazon their buildings with branding, you might not be familiar with the hotel chain, but you’ll want to keep an eye out for them. They count 36 venues across the UK, ranging across a variety of the country’s historic inns and hotels.

When you stay in one of their hotels, you could be staying in a coaching inn that dates back to the 15th century (The Bell Inn), or amidst “ancient ruins of an 11th-century Norman fortress” (The Castle of Brecon Hotel). Their venues overlook cobbled market squares, stunning coastlines, and acres of forest. All that to say, these ain’t your bog-standard hotel rooms.

Which? praised the hotel chain’s venues as “Characterful inns in lovely settings, with great customer service.”

The UK’s best hotel chains

Okay, so where else might you want to stay when travelling around the UK? These are the 5 best large hotel chains in the UK, according to Which?:

1. The Coaching Inn Group
2. InterContinental
3. Hotel Indigo
4. Sofitel
5. Wetherspoons Hotels

And, yes, you did read that last one correctly. While you might typically turn your nose up at a Spoons pub, their attached hotels were praised for being “a welcome sanctuary from the hubbub downstairs.” The rooms themselves were described as “spacious, stylish and, crucially, silent”. And if you’ve ever tried to sleep above a pub, you know how important that last point is!

But what about the worst? These hotel chains were ranked at the bottom of Which?’s list, from worst to least-worst:

1. Travelodge
2. Village Hotels
3. Ibis Budget
4. Days Inn
5. Britannia

Small and medium hotel chains

According to the research, these are the best small and medium hotel chains in the UK:

1. Andrew Brownsword Hotels
2. Brend Hotels
3. Hand Picked Hotels
4. Montcalm Hotels
5. Dakota Hotels

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Image: @brownswordhotels, via IG

Meanwhile, these hospitality groups sank to the bottom of the list as the country’s worst small and medium hotel chains:

1. Warner Hotels
2. Maldron Hotels
3. Malmaison
4. MacDonald
5. QHotels

Read Which?’s full guide to the UK’s best (and worst) hotel chains here.