THE chain which runs a Daresbury hotel previously compared in a guest review to Chernobyl has posted soaring profits.

Daresbury Park Hotel – which is currently closed to the public to house migrants – is operated by Britannia Hotels, headquartered in Hale.

The chain was ranked as the worst in the UK for the 10th year in a row in January this year by consumer choice service Which? – in a survey conducted by members and members of the public.

But despite this, Britannia has recorded pre-tax profits of £33.3million for the past 12 months to March 31, 2022, according to accounts published on Companies House.

It comes after the hotel chain operated at a pre-tax loss of £9.5million the previous tax year.

The accounts also show turnover of £117.8million, again showing a rise from the previous 12 months, which was £38.3million.

Following the losses of £9.5million the previous year, Britannia cut almost 1,000 jobs in a bid to slash overheads.

However, staff numbers have risen slightly over the past 12-month period from 1,765 to 1,818.

In a strategy statement, the chain says it aims to offer ‘increasing levels of comfort and service while maintaining highly competitive prices and reputation for good value’.

On future outlook, documents add: “The directors remain confident that the company is in a good position to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.

“The hotels have managed to maintain their competitive edge through the economic downtum and continue to take steps designed to attract new business and improve market share going forward.

“The directors are confident that the business is well placed to meet the challenges, including the current geopolitical uncertainty, cost of living crisis and the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

With a customer score of 56 per cent, Britannia was ranked the worst UK hotel chain by Which? in January, having been bottom of its survey for an entire decade.

The survey states: “We cannot even say it's cheap, with plenty of better-rated brands beating it on price.

“Britannia's downfall is particularly sad when you consider its illustrious past. The beautiful historic buildings in prime locations remain, but the interiors are showing serious signs of neglect.

“The brand received just two out of five stars in every category, including cleanliness, with one guest describing their stay as 'absolutely dire, drab and smelly'.”

The Which? verdict adds that potential customers should ‘avoid at all costs’.

Daresbury Park Hotel is rated 2.5 stars on TripAdvisor, with many of the most recent reviews falling under the ‘terrible’ category.

One Daresbury Park Hotel guest took to TripAdvisor comparing the hotel to Chernobyl.

They said: “If it is warmish outside, seriously consider your car or a tent instead of a stay in Britannia’s Chernobyl.

Another angry guest claimed they would not stay at the hotel again in a million years while another claimed they would leave ‘zero stars’ if they could.

The chain has 61 hotels across Britain, including Adelphi Hotel and Scarborough’s Grand Hotel.