Spotlight on Britannia's Southport legacy as firm makes big profits again
Plus: Andrew Brown's What's On guide for the rest of the Easter holidays
Hello and welcome to the 26th edition of The Southport Lead.
The name Britannia Hotels is synonymous with Southport in a way that many wouldn’t like. On Lord Street alone, it is responsible for The Scarisbrick Hotel and The Prince of Wales Hotel while also having The Royal Clifton on Promenade.
All three are once proud hotels whose best days are behind them but ultimately, they are operational, well visited and continue to employ lots of people. The latter two have also finally enjoyed investment both inside and out in recent years.
But the chain remains the worst rated in the country - a title it has held for more than a decade. It is also responsible for Pontins which for years sullied the reputation of Ainsdale and now sits completely empty and unused, having closed down more than a year ago.
Despite those poor survey results, it remains a very profitable business. Although lower than the previous year, its recent accounts showed a profit of £22m for 2023-24 and discuss how its “tightly controlled management of costs”. So what is Britannia’s impact on Southport and how should the company be perceived here?
Also in today’s edition, the nightmare beach trip which saw a family rescued from the vehicle and your guide to What’s On this Easter.
Britannia’s big profits - but at what cost?
By Jamie Lopez
Britannia Hotels has been urged to work more closely with local leaders in Southport as it posted another year of large profits.
The chain - which is responsible for three town centre hotels and the closed Pontins site - published its accounts this week and revealed a £22m profit. While down from the 2023 results, the numbers are still the envy of many in a hospitality sector which has endured a hugely difficult few years and is bracing itself for conditions to get worse.
Those positive results sit in stark contrast to the company’s reputation, with Britannia rated the worst hotel chain in the consumer magazine Which’s annual survey for the last 11 years.
In Southport, it owns the Scarisbrick Hotel, The Royal Clifton and The Prince of Wales, all of which bring a steady stream of visitors to the town but are largely viewed by residents as being a shadow of their former selves.
The Scarisbrick, known locally as the Brick, in particular enjoyed its best days under previous ownership and has since experienced a perceived lack of maintenance, a temporary re-use as an asylum hotel, and the installation of a gaming arcade initially without planning permission.
It now has a TripAdviser rating of just 2.3/5 and a Google Reviews rating of three out of five. The Prince of Wales has 2.9/5 and 3.4/5 and the Royal Clifton has 3.4/5 and 3.6/5.
However, under the old ownership the Brick has gone bust with seven figure debts before being saved by Britannia and struggles at the Bliss Hotel, which also had to be rescued from administration and turned into the Waterfront, have highlighted the challenges in the sector.
One town centre business owner told The Southport Lead that while the hotels are not seen as high quality, they are both an important driver of visitors to the town and a key local employer.
A tourism insider added that Britannia had invested heavily into the Prince of Wales recently in addition to works done at the Royal Clifton. Both locations hold weddings, functions and events, all of which are key to Southport’s tourism and leisure industry.
However, there remain concerns about the quality of all three.
Cllr Mike Prendergast, the Conservative group leader at Sefton who represents Dukes Ward where all three hotels are based, is among those who wants to see better from the company.
He told The Southport Lead: “Whilst it is good news that Britannia have finally invested in some of Southport’s landmark hotels that now form part of their portfolio, there is still a general concern that they are not investing enough in the quality of their offering which is detrimental to the town as a whole.
“Right now Sefton Council is in the middle of constructing the new Marine Lake Events Centre facility, costing £73.5 million, to bring in new events and conferences to our town.
“The concern is that a lot of Southport’s hotel stock is in the hands of one company who up until very recently, have invested very little.”
Britannia’s accounts give an insight into the strategy which has allowed it to keep thriving despite its negative perception. A director’s report submitted with the figures explains the company policy is to “focus on increasing profitability via tightly controlled management of costs”.
It adds: “We ensure we retain the necessary flexibility not only on our prices in order to respond to market conditions but also to allow us to adapt and overcome the ever evolving challenges of operating hotels in the current socio-economic environment. In addition, we employ tight controls on our costs, particularly labour costs, in order to ensure that the company maintains its competitive position.”
However, these tight costs and low staffing levels have become associated with a lack of cleanliness and maintenance. The local media have had no shortage of stories about horror stays at the Scarisbrick and that reputation runs nationally.
According to the most recent Which Survey, guests are ten times more likely to award it a poor rating for cleanliness than any other hotel and its overall rating was one-star rating in nearly all categories – including bathrooms, bed comfort, facilities and value for money. As a result, it received an overall customer satisfaction score of 39%, little over half of the next worst.
For local officials, one of the key frustrations of Britannia is its apparent refusal to communicate with the council. Cllr John Pugh, the Lib Dem leader who also represents Dukes Ward, says this needs to improve.
He told The Southport Lead: "Britannia has a huge stake in Southport with their multiple hotels and involvement with Pontins and Southport in turn has a major need to strike up a working relationship with Britannia.
“Too often though within Sefton Council all I hear is people lamenting about poor communication and difficulties with Britannia. It may all be true and the history isn’t good but it has to be overcome.
“Southport and Britannia’s interests and futures can align if we can get a meaningful dialogue going. Currently the cut price business model of Britannia is doing Southport no favours as it seeks to position itself as a quality resort, but a frosty 'iron curtain’ relationship isn’t going to make matters any easier.
“We need outcomes that work for both parties and a breakthrough in communication at the highest level.”
This is even more of an issue with the effectively abandoned Pontins site in Ainsdale. The holiday resorted boasted a stunning location next to Ainsdale beach but was associated was even worse stories of dirty rooms, rundown facilities, and poor behaviour than any of Britannia’s town centre sites.
It closed in January 2024 when the owners decided it was no longer economically viable but since then seemingly nothing has happened. Various rumours have come and gone but the large site sits completely unused and almost no information has come from Britannia despite it having a 150 year lease for the site.
Cllr Prendergast said: “In Ainsdale, the Pontins site and the ongoing uncertainty is still a huge concern for local residents and businesses.
"The site there has enormous potential and with the future sale of the nearby Sands, could form an even bigger part of Southport’s tourism offering. Britannia have provided very little information about their future intentions and the uncertainty is hampering investment in the area.”
Councillor Lynne Thompson represents Ainsdale ward and shared that frustration at the lack of information but said there is some hope this is finally changing, albeit no fast progress is expected.
She said: “I think we’re still in that waiting room really. I have been told that there is some communication between Britannia and the council. I think at one stage it was almost impossible for that to happen but I do believe there has been some form of communication.”
The difficulties of the long-term lease mean the council has little ability to influence what happens at the site and Cllr Thompson hopes this doesn’t prevent wider improvements to the beach gateway from taking place.
“I believe the council’s idea is to look at it as a whole - Toad Hall, the Sands and Pontins. If we do that and include the Pontins site, it could be another decade and we’re never going to get anywhere.
“But we have to look at the positives, there was no communication before, there is some now.”
As for the site itself, she believes drastic action is needed. “It’s very difficult to understand what Britannia’s intentions are really. There’s rumours upon rumours upon rumours every time something happens at another site and each time it turns out to be false.
“Realistically it’s very run down. For me, it’s beyond refurbishment, it needs to be knocked down and started again.”
Family rescued by coastguards after getting car stuck on beach
By Elliot Jessett
A 4×4 was found stranded and ‘stuck in the mud’ with children inside after ignoring warning signs, according to HM Coastguard (HMC).
The team were mobilised last night Wednesday, April 9 by Holyhead MRCC and attended a location near to Weld Road beach car park in Birkdale.
The Southport Coastguard Rescue Team posted on its Facebook page and reported a group of 4×4 vehicles had ignored a notice warning motorists not to drive out onto the beach.
The post stated: “The stuck car was part of a small group of 4×4 vehicles that had disregarded a large warning sign and had all driven onto unsafe ground.
“Once we had ensured the young children in the stuck vehicle could be taken home, and that the vehicle would be recovered in daylight, the team stood down.”
Sefton Council uses signage at beaches like Ainsdale and Southport, to warn motorist against driving on the beach. These signs follow RNLI guidelines and indicate potential dangers like soft sand, tides, and the need for responsible parking.
The council also provides advice on checking tide times and being aware of your surroundings.
There are additional notices about the effects of tides, including the potential for becoming cut off, and the impact of soft sand.
Responding to request for more details, a spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “At around 8.02pm last night, HM Coastguard was made aware of a stranded vehicle at Southport beach.
“The Southport Coastguard Rescue Team attended to check the welfare of any people involved and provided an update to police.”
The spokesperson added: “We urge motorists to take notice of the signs at Weld Road, and not to attempt to drive out towards the tide line.”
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What's On in Southport this Easter
By Andrew Brown
Visitors to Southport are in for a cracking Easter with a raft of activities and events added to the much-loved coastal resorts calendar this Spring.
Here Visit Southport and Stand Up For Southport give you a rundown of just some of the events and options to put in your diary this Easter.
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