Are You Aware If Your Hotel Is on the List of Britain’s Dirtiest Food-Serving Establishments?

Around one in 45 hotels fall foul of food hygiene standards, analysis shows. 

Eleven scored the lowest rating of zero, including the luxurious £475-a-night London Hilton on Park Lane.

Another DoubleTree branch of the Hilton chain, situated a short distance from Hyde Park, also received an ‘urgent improvement necessary’ rating during its most recent inspection.

The full findings of MailOnline’s probe, based on Food Standards Agency (FSA) data, can be viewed in our interactive map below. 

In total, 298 hotels and guest houses serving food fell short of hygiene standards. 

Approximately 16,000 establishments fall under the monitoring of either the FSA or Food Standards Scotland (FSS). These organizations compile and publish the judgments made by various councils, which have the duty of inspecting food establishments to ensure the safe handling, storage, and serving of food.

The information on the database can change on a daily basis.

FSA officials recommend businesses are inspected depending on risk, ranging from once every six months to two years.

Some extremely low-risk premises – such as newsagents, market stalls and cricket clubs – may have even longer intervals between check-ups.    

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all venues serving food are rated on a scale between zero and five.

Businesses which score two or below have not reached the minimum standards and at least ‘some’ improvement is necessary.

Inspectors who visit such venues may find rotting food and rodent droppings or spot unsafe food storage habits.

The ratings do not consider the quality of food on offer or whether the serving offers good value for money. 

MailOnline’s analysis – correct as of February 24 – found 73 hotels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had a rating of 2.

A further 66 scored one (meaning major improvement is necessary), and 11 received zero, where ‘urgent improvement is required’. 

In the London Hilton, where a Queen guest room starts at £475 per night, the venue was criticised on all aspects of its food handling and safety. 

According to Food Standards Agency data, when the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London was inspected on September 27, 2024, it received a rating of zero

Inspectors from Westminster City Council highlighted the need for urgent improvements in food handling practices at the DoubleTree branch, specifically citing concerns related to food preparation, cooking, re-heating, cooling, and storage.

Major improvement was necessary under the cleanliness section, which includes pest control. 

In the final section concerning the management of food safety, inspectors found that urgent improvement was necessary.  

In Scotland, venues are graded on a binary pass/fail basis.

North of the border, 148 businesses were rated as ‘improvement required’.

A spokesperson for the Hilton told MailOnline: ‘We took immediate action to address the requirements relating to one of our six kitchens following the inspection in September.

‘Following a further site visit, the Local Authority was satisfied that the necessary improvements had been implemented, and we remain committed to maintaining high standards while we await Food Hygiene Rating reassessment.’