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 branch of the Hilton chain – a DoubleTree yards away from Hyde Park – was also given an ‘urgent improvement necessary’ in its latest 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.
About 16,000 are tracked by either the FSA or Food Standards Scotland (FSS), which collate rulings published by individual councils, which are responsible for inspecting food premises to check whether food is being handled, stored and served safely.
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 – could 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.
Food Standards Agency data shows that when the Hilton Hotel (pictured) in Park Lane in London was inspected on September 27 2024 it received a rating of zero
The Grade II-listed New Continental Hotel in Plymouth also received the lowest FSA score
Westminster City Council inspectors found there was urgent improvement necessary in the handling of food, ‘including 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 – and 148 businesses across the country 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.’
Also given zero ratings were the Grade II-listed New Continental Hotel in Plymouth and the Osterley Park Hotel in the west London borough of Hounslow, both of which have been contacted for comment.
The Plymouth venue was told it particularly needed ‘urgent’ improvement when it came to managing food safety, while the west London counterpart was given the same recommendation on both hygienic food handling and cleanlinees.
Osterley Park Hotel in Isleworth, west London, was found by the Food Standards Agency last November to need ‘urgent improvement’ on hygienic food handling and cleanliness
The Manor Hotel in Crickhowell, in Powys in Wales, was marked zero last December but staff there say they have carried out repairs and expect to be given FSA approval soon
A spokesperson for the Manor Hotel in Powys, Wales, today told MailOnline they were expecting new approval from the FSA after carrying out works installing new floors and repainting the building’s ceilings.
They said: ‘All the works have been completed. Floors needed to be replaced and all new floors have been done – the ceilings needed repainting and they have been.
‘There were no problems with the food standards themselves – it was the structural aspects. They’re now very happy with them – we’re waiting for the official regrading.’
The response comes after an FSA inspection last December issued a zero rating and called for ‘major improvement’ on ‘hygienic food handling’ and ‘management of food safety’.
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