A HOTEL chain with a site in Daresbury - which guests compared to Chernobyl - has cut almost 1,000 jobs following a loss of nearly £10 million.

Britannia Hotels’ turnover slumped by more than £80 million in its latest financial year.

As reported in BusinessLive, newly-filed documents with Companies House show the number of employees at the firm was cut from 2,740 to 1,765 during the 12-month period up to March 31, 2021.

Office and management staff reduced by 62 and direct workers fell by 913.

Its turnover also fell from £120.4m to £38.3m over the same period.

The business said the downturn in sales was due to Covid.

This also comes after the chain, who own the Daresbury Park Hotel and Spa, was ranked as the worst in the UK for the ninth year in a row by Which?

READ MORE> Hotel chain with site in Daresbury which guests compared to Chernobyl ranked worst in UK 

The accommodation, described as the 'hotel from hell', is based off the A56 on Chester Road.

The hotel is rated 2.5 on TripAdvisor with many recent reviews falling under the ‘terrible’ category.

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

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

Another angry guest claimed they would not stay at the hotel again in a million years while another claimed they would leave ‘0 stars’ if they could.

Within the survey, hotel chains were rated on categories such as cleanliness, bathrooms and value for money.

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

It received an average customer score of only 49 per cent.

Addressing the downturn in sales, a statement signed off by the board said: "Sales have reduced 68% for the year. This reflects the impact Covid-19 has had on performance and the trading conditions throughout the economy in 2021.

"The gross margin achieved for the year equated to 47.4% (2020: 61.9%). Again this significant drop in margin reflects the trading conditions since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Our priority continually remains to maintain occupancy levels and manage operating costs so that the business is well placed to exploit further investment in new properties.

"The hotel industry in the UK is becoming increasingly competitive and this brings an increased risk of losing major sales accounts to competitors.

"The company manages to control this risk by adding improved services whilst retaining highly competitive prices and maintaining good customer relationships.

"Demand for hotel services can be affected by the general economic conditions in the country as well as the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We ensure that 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."

On its outlook, the company added: "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 downturn and continue to take steps designed to attract new business and improve market share going forward.

"The directors have carefully considered the availability of working capital and likely levels of trading over the next 12 months.

"They 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."