[citation needed] In the mid-1980s, Alex Langsam acquired the Grade II* listed London Road Fire Station in Manchester for the group.

Proposals to redevelop it into a hotel and offices were delayed and in 2006 it was placed on English Heritage's register of "at risk" historical buildings.

[12] The 1988 Philip Saville film The Fruit Machine featured interior and main entrance scenes of the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool, including a vertical pan shot past the lit marquee at night.

In January 2011, the company bought North West holiday camp business Pontins out of administration in an £18.5 million deal which safeguarded about 1,000 jobs.

[citation needed] On 15 July 2023, a fire broke out in one of the rooms in the Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton reducing most of the Grade II building to a shell.

journalists found the Britannia Lodge near Gatwick airport to be in a worse condition, reporting smells of damp because of a clogged ventilation fan, a bathroom affected by mould, and stains revealed under ultraviolet light.

The website commended most of the reviewed locations for their proximity to city centres or public transport hubs[47] and efforts to renovate some rooms in the Manchester location,[48] but raised concerns about outdated interiors, inconsistent maintenance, and Wi-Fi access fees,[49] the latter generally considered inappropriate in a country where internet access is a major part of daily life.

The Home Office temporarily rented rooms in three Britannia locations (two in Bournemouth, one in Folkestone) to house asylum seekers because of overcrowding at the detention centres.

[52][53] Britannia Hotels later reversed the decision under widespread political and public pressure, but claimed that the sackings were due to an "administrative error".

[60] Britannia Hotels was prosecuted for breaking health and safety laws after a student drowned in the Adelphi's swimming pool in 2006.

[63][64][65] The Liverpool Echo visited the company's headquarters in June 2019 to interview a spokesperson about the complaints, but no-one would speak to the journalists.

[66] In 2013 in Canterbury Crown Court, the chain was ordered to pay £200,000 in fines and costs for putting guests and construction workers at risk of exposure to asbestos at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone.

[67] In 2021, the chain was fined £86,000 after an employee fell through rusted railings and suffered life-changing injuries at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Southport.

Sefton Council also issued an improvement notice after no attempt was made to make the area safe after the accident occurred.