The WORST RATED Hotel In The UK? Grand Burstin Hotel - Folkestone

I stay at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone, Owned by Britannia Hotels and it's the ninth consecutive year that Britannia has come bottom of the pile in the annual survey by consumer group Which? It's received some very bad reviews on Tripadvisor and some bad press over the last 12 months, BUT is it as bad as some people say? Let's find out!

The current hotel was built in 1984 from the foundations of the "Royal Pavilion Hotel," originally built in 1843; parts of which for the new Burstin Hotel, such as the Victorian restaurant. The building was bought from the Grand Leisure Group in November 2004 by Britannia Hotels who now have 35 hotels across the UK.

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[ychaps]

I feel sorry for these grand hotels. In their days they were clearly spectacular hotels. Imagine what it must cost to run and maintain them these days. Still have glimpses of their former glory...which I would personally be happy to see.

[thaqueenofchaos]

The room before the upgrade felt so much better than the room with a balcony. Felt lighter, roomy and the bathroom also looked cleaner.

[JC-bhgu]

finally I found this channel. so tired of people playing up how bad something is for clicks or views. this felt genuine. when I saw the room my first thought was "eh its not that bad, surely he's not going to pretend that this is the worst thing he's ever seen right?" and no, you didn't. you gave a very fair review. glad you're so successful without falling into the common YouTube reviewer traps. keep it up.

[davetreadwell]

In fairness to the balcony, the “dirt” on the balcony wall is lichen - which is not only a superb sign of very clean/unpolluted air, but a critical CO2 scrubber

[Lol-uzpn]

I worked there for two days and I was told to dust with the used pillow cases from the last guests and wipe the bathroom down with the used towels. The worst part was when I was told to rinse out the mugs and wipe with the towels just used for the bathroom.
Wish I was joking 🙃

[Fluffykeith]

That place looks like it was built and designed for a time when holiday habits were very different, and yet it’s completion in 1984 was too late to capture that kind of holidaymaker it was aimed for, because people were already moving on, to cheaper and easier foreign holidays. A land locked cruise ship with nowhere to go but down.

I’m watching this and getting a “motorway travel lodge” feel

[williamjamesclarable]

Sad to see the demise of a lot of the old grand seaside English hotels. You can imagine how different they were when they were first opened. Now, they just seem far too big to maintain properly and still make money.

[gusshirnam]

I lived in Folkestone for a few years and knew of the Burstin's horror stories. It is such a shame that this hotel has turned out to be a dive. I remember it was used by bootleggers from the North, stopping off before embarking on their journey over to Belgium. This hotel could be a real asset to Folkestone if it could attract some proper investment.

[davebowerman]

I'm a local and see it as an eye sore that replaced a genuine grand hotel. A little known fact is it had a reputation in child services as an establishment that rented rooms by the hour and many kids were trafficked or raped as a result. A true stain on this seaside town.

[Woftam]

Just watched your video. My husband and I have stayed at the Grand Burstin, Folkestone for many years and absolutely love it. We call it shabby chic as you get what you've paid for.
We think it represents good value for your money. The views are to die for especially if you have a harbour view room with a balcony. The 'all inclusive' themed entertainment weekends are always good fun and very enjoyable. We would recommend upgrading to the Victoria Restaurant. Can't weait until we go again. Try it yourselves, you will not be disappointed.

[LegosheepIsAwesome]

When I worked on the Dover-Calais Ferries, we'd check which coaches were coming on board for each trip to be prepared. One of the ones that always filled us with dread was when there was a Grand Burstin excursion. There's nothing much worse than a British tourist currently experiencing their worst holiday of their life.

[Nyctophora]

There isn't much point in screwing the windows shut when there's a balcony
Thank you for your honesty, you always give us a good look around!

[samw]

Well, it’s no surprise that it’s owned by Britannia…

[liverbird]

Great video, Tim. I stayed at the Burstin about fifteen years ago. It was much the same then. The worst part of the experience was the bathroom taps which looked as though they hadn’t been cleaned in about ten years. Yet another formerly grand hotel that Britannia have run into the ground.

[YonOtto]

I LOVE visiting places like this and enjoy the older, nostalgic style they have hung onto to invite older patrons back year after year. Imagining what it might have been like back in the day when it was BOOMING but it also makes me sad that the place might eventually close due to being a little run down in areas that the owner can't afford to fix. I'm 36 btw. Not 60 or 70.

[TMisthios]

Here's my hot take: the first room he stayed in was much better than the "upgrade" 😆

[ExpoAviation]

Another great video Tim, it is interesting to see how this hotel has started to improve under Britannia after years of neglect. The hotel had previously been owned by Burstin Travel who also owned the Palace Hotel in Southend-on-Sea and unbelievably they also had their own airline, Princess Air which didn't last long. If anything the money lost on their airline venture dragged the two hotels down along with Burstin Travel. For a Britannia it does look really good on the inside, a pleasant surprise especially considering how bad it looks from the outside.
With regard to the plentiful notices regarding smoking and abuse, I believe the local authorities or government would use the hotel as a temporary accommodation for various folks (just like a number of other Britannia properties) and that was where most of the trouble was coming from.
Anyway, great stuff and keep them coming :)

[thomasbowers]

Your videos are so well filmed, the editing is also spot on. You are such a natural presenter! I love your Britannia hotel series, seeing the huge historic buildings normally in disrepair is sad. You are taking one for the team staying in these.

[andyctube]

I used to stay here regularly when I was contracting in the area about 10 years ago. One thing that sticks out in my mind was that the heating in the corridors was always turned right up regardless of the weather. There was always that lingering smell of smoke around the building. Compared with how I remember it, it's obvious they've had some work done in places over the last few years. The restaurants have been spruced up but the bar area is still exactly as I remember it; dark and dingy-looking. Also, I remember that the beds always had these horrid orange duvet covers and mattress toppers, like something from a prison bed. If nothing else, seeing the old place has brought back a few memories.

[mousecharger]

You found a "How random!" Moment with that wardrobe hiding another door..love it🤣🤣👍