Wetherspoon is in the pub spirit

I see that JD Wetherspoon has come in for yet more snidey criticism in your magazine (Wetherspoon opts for budget hotels, MW July 23).

Baird and Benady are not alone in labelling Wetherspoon’s houses as “soulless” and “anodyne”. However, in the relentless march of branding across the pub world, it is notable how many observers seem to resent Wetherspoon’s success.

In a world where pub brands are almost guaranteed to offer the “consumer” (they used to be called customers) nothing more than, well, a brand, Wetherspoon continues to prove the exception. They serve excellent beer and offer a full menu from 11am to 10pm every day in fine buildings with spotless interiors which contain – shock, horror – decent loos. Their customers are treated as such by well-trained staff.

Wetherspoon provides genuine quality and service to back up its brand. For this reason, I am glad to see it going into budget hotels. It is a market which certainly needs someone to put service behind the branding.

MA Richardson

Birmingham