HUNDREDS of UK hotels - including a famous York restaurant with two AA Rosettes - have a poor food hygiene rating, a survey has found.

A total of 652 hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses have hygiene ratings indicating that improvement is necessary, in some cases urgently, the investigation by Which? Travel found.

Each of the properties received a rating of two or below from their local authority, which use the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) 0-5 scale, or an "improvement required" rating in Scotland.

Best Western's Dean Court Hotel in York, which has two AA Rosettes, was given a food hygiene rating of just one, meaning 'major improvement necessary', while London's five-star Royal Horseguards hotel has two AA Rosettes but a hygiene rating of just two.

Best Western said the Dean Court Hotel's score of one out of five was due to "administrative oversight and clerical error".

A spokeswoman said: "We are absolutely confident that the result had nothing to with the food hygiene standards of the hotel, of which they have always proudly scored the maximum of five out of five.

"The hotel is currently waiting for another inspection and has actively encouraged the York environmental health officer team to expedite this as soon as their resources allow."

Which? Travel sent undercover researchers to do a spot check at eight hotels in London, Birmingham and Northumberland with a food hygiene rating of between zero and two, finding that not one visibly displayed its rating at the time of the visit.

The Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme (FHRS) in England and the Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) in Scotland do not require hotels, B&Bs or guesthouses to publicly display ratings, unlike businesses in Wales and Northern Ireland.

To determine a rating, food safety officers look at how hygienically the food is handled, the condition of the structure of the buildings and how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.

At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings from zero to five, with the FSA saying any business should be able to reach the top rating.

Which? is calling for the mandatory display of food hygiene ratings at hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses across the UK, not only outside premises, but also on their websites.

The FSA also believes a compulsory scheme is necessary and is building a case for a mandatory display scheme to be rolled out in England, and Food Standards Scotland is reviewing a similar scheme.

Which? Travel editor Rory Boland said: "Around nine in 10 of us eat at least one meal in our overnight accommodation so it's vital that hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses have high standards of food hygiene.

"We know that displaying the rating outside the premises encourages higher standards, which is why we support the FSA case for a compulsory display scheme for the whole of the UK."