The lowest-ranked holiday park in the UK has been named, with other big names also scoring comparatively low compared to smaller and perhaps lesser-known providers.
According to a new survey, Pontins, which was founded in 1946, took last place with a customer score of 56%. Pontins scored a run of two-star ratings for customer service, quality of accommodation, cleanliness, variety of free facilities, quality of facilities and activities, food and drink and value for money.
Its highest score of three stars was for communication and the quality of entertainment. Longstanding rival Butlin's also found itself in the bottom five, with a customer score of 67% just ahead of Park Holidays UK at 66%, Away Resorts with 64% and Largo Leisure Parks with a score of 64%.
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Guests at Butlin's rated customer service two stars, it received three stars in key categories including quality of accommodation and cleanliness, and four for the quality and variety of children's activities and entertainment.
Haven Holiday Parks and Center Parcs tied with a customer score of 69%. The most visited brand in Which?'s survey, Center Parcs, received largely favourable reviews but received two stars in the value for money category, as well as for the variety of free facilities on offer.
Average spending by survey participants was noted at £76 per person each night, earning the dubious honour of being the priciest option excluding meals and beverages.
It secured a four-star rating in multiple areas including overall customer service, communication, accommodation quality, cleanliness, facility and activity quality, and the range and quality of children's activities.
Haven, meanwhile, saw a spectrum of three and two-star ratings covering aspects like overall customer service, accommodation quality, and value for money.
The best holiday parks and resorts in the UK
All-inclusive Potters Resorts has been crowned the top UK holiday park. Potters Resorts outperformed other household names to secure the top spot, with a customer score of 87%, followed by Forest Holidays in second place with a customer score of 80%.
Having been in operation for over 100 years, Potters has two all-inclusive resorts in Essex and Norfolk that offer a variety of accommodation styles and live entertainment.
Visitors gave Potters full marks for the range of free facilities available, the quality of facilities and activities, the quality of the entertainment and communication, as well as four stars for overall customer service, food and drink, value for money and quality of accommodation.
With 13 locations across England, Wales and Scotland, Forest Holidays provides woodland stays with hot tubs in a variety of accommodations from cabins to treehouses. The brand received four stars for the quality of accommodation, cleanliness, overall customer service, communication and quality of facilities and activities. It has two locations in Wales, in Eryri and Bannau Brycheiniog.
Tied in third place with a customer score of 77% were Bluestone Wales, which is in the Pembrokeshire countryside and has previously been voted one of UK's best value holidays by Which?, and John Fowler Holiday Parks. Among the other high-scoring firms were Hoburne Holidays with 75% and Waterside Holiday Group with 74%.
How were the rankings worked out?
Over 1,700 people were surveyed by Which? about their experiences at UK holiday parks in the last two years. They were asked to rate their stays based on 11 criteria, including the quality of accommodation, customer service, cleanliness, facilities and activities, and value for money.
An overall customer score was then calculated based on overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend. Which? Travel's deputy editor, Naomi Leach, commented: "Holiday parks have been a mainstay of British holidays for decades, but with so many options to choose from it isn't always easy to know which will be the right fit for your family."
She added: "Our latest survey shows that it's worth looking beyond the best-known names, with smaller and independent resorts offering excellent value for money, great customer service and plenty of onsite entertainment."
What did the holiday parks say?
A Butlin's spokesperson expressed their delight with the company's performance in entertainment and activities, stating: "As the home of entertainment, it's brilliant to see that we're scoring highly when it comes to activities and entertainment. We've invested over £50 million across our three resorts with new openings like our Skypark playground and Playxperience indoor activity centre to ensure we continue to deliver incredible holidays for our guests."
They also acknowledged areas needing improvement, adding: "It is disappointing to see that some scores are lower but would like to reassure guests that we're investing in these areas to offer a better holiday experience."
Meanwhile, a Center Parcs spokesperson highlighted their unique position in the UK market: "Center Parcs offers unique family short breaks in the UK. We welcome over 2 million guests to our villages annually, and we are 97% full all through the year."
They continued by underscoring the brand's commitment to guest satisfaction: "We are proud of our consistently high guest satisfaction scores and over 60% of guests will go on to make another booking with us. Our guests demand a high-quality experience and each year we invest tens of millions of pounds improving our villages to ensure we meet their expectations."
Pontins, Park Holidays UK, Away Resorts, Largo Leisure Parks and Haven Holiday Parks have been approached to comment.
