Premier Inn going downhill
Discussion
I travel a fair amount for work and I always used to stay at Premier Inns.
Clean, comfy bed, decent breakfast and a good shower.
Last night it was the straw that broke the camels back. Stayed at York North and it was awful.
Uncomfortable bed, awful thin duvet, solid chap pillows and the spares had no covers. Breakfast made with the cheapest ingredients.
Mold and flaking paint in the bathroom.
General dirty tired room and this seems to be the norm now with Premier Inn.
Looking at alternatives.
Clean, comfy bed, decent breakfast and a good shower.
Last night it was the straw that broke the camels back. Stayed at York North and it was awful.
Uncomfortable bed, awful thin duvet, solid chap pillows and the spares had no covers. Breakfast made with the cheapest ingredients.
Mold and flaking paint in the bathroom.
General dirty tired room and this seems to be the norm now with Premier Inn.
Looking at alternatives.
I think these hotels sometimes go in cycles. Get one that has been fairly recently refurbished and it's lovely. Get one that hasn't been done yet and it's quite poor. All the Premier Inns I've stayed in have been pretty good. Travelodges have ranged from shabby to immaculate. I once stayed at the Ramada in Finchley (now called OYO Flagship) and I can only describe the experience as something akin to a series made by Peter Kay about a hotel chain and done in the same style as Phoenix Nights!
I stayed in two Premier Inns in London recently. The one in Woolwich was average, and the breakfast was particularly poor. The one at LHR was better, but there has obviously been a lot of cost & corner cutting with the breakfasts. Less choice, cheaper ingredients, fewer branded options, no more Costa coffee etc etc.
I've stayed in about a dozen different PIs in the past year and they all seem reasonable, the "plus" rooms or whatever they are called are better/newer.
What really pisses me off is the crap quality of food. Fine if you are somewhere with a bit of choice nearby but Beefeaters etc are really s
t. I've stopped booking breakfast or any of the deals.
What really pisses me off is the crap quality of food. Fine if you are somewhere with a bit of choice nearby but Beefeaters etc are really s
t. I've stopped booking breakfast or any of the deals. I stayed in one last year and the couple next door decided to have a heated argument at 0330. You could hear every word through the wall.
Unfortunately no phones in the room, so couldn't ring reception or even the room. Reception said in the morning "why didn't you come and see us?" Because I would have had to get out of bed and get dressed to come to reception.
Beds are comfortable, breakfast is OK at a tenner, but IHG/Marriot Bonvoy/ Hilton are a better option every time.
Except Holiday Inn Tadcaster Road, York which is straight out of the 1970s with a hoard of screaming kids eating free breakfasts. Just don't.
Unfortunately no phones in the room, so couldn't ring reception or even the room. Reception said in the morning "why didn't you come and see us?" Because I would have had to get out of bed and get dressed to come to reception.
Beds are comfortable, breakfast is OK at a tenner, but IHG/Marriot Bonvoy/ Hilton are a better option every time.
Except Holiday Inn Tadcaster Road, York which is straight out of the 1970s with a hoard of screaming kids eating free breakfasts. Just don't.
Sheepshanks said:
Do they still refund if you complain?
Did it once, and seemed like refunding me was a massive issue, so I wonder if get raised with head office and few people doing it might bring that location under more scrutiny?
Yes, as far as I’m aware. I got a 2 night stay refunded last year with no quibble as there was no water supply to the room on the second morning so I was unable to shower before leaving for work. Did it once, and seemed like refunding me was a massive issue, so I wonder if get raised with head office and few people doing it might bring that location under more scrutiny?
bmwmike said:
Yep got a refund off them recently after a stay in London which was a dump. Bathroom drain clogged and water on the floor around the toilet, and it stank!
Stayed at the one in Dublin airport recently which looked new, very decent.
I lived Monday to Friday in the Dublin Airport PI for 6 months in 2021. Just as we were coming out of Covid restrictions. Often only paid €20 a night. Stayed at the one in Dublin airport recently which looked new, very decent.
Yes, massively sadly.
I’ve been using them for years, staying several times a year for a week at a time usually.
You used to get a great Hypnos bed and the quality of their bedding/etc was good.
Last time I’d stayed with them they’d switched to supermarket type mattresses and bedding, plus a big one is you don’t actually have full control of the temperature in your room.
Reception decides what temperature you can have and locks the control into a small band. Or can override it to save money.
The guarantee isn’t much use, tried to claim on it and they say they only pay out if things are broken. Not if they aren’t working properly because they have decided to set it that way.
Have seen several newspaper complaints as well unfortunately.
Paid for the included food and it was low quality now. Staying for a week I got to try out most of the menu.
Hardly any staff around as they’ve been cut back.
Only use them now if there’s no choice. Holiday inn express or others seem much better.
I’ve been using them for years, staying several times a year for a week at a time usually.
You used to get a great Hypnos bed and the quality of their bedding/etc was good.
Last time I’d stayed with them they’d switched to supermarket type mattresses and bedding, plus a big one is you don’t actually have full control of the temperature in your room.
Reception decides what temperature you can have and locks the control into a small band. Or can override it to save money.
The guarantee isn’t much use, tried to claim on it and they say they only pay out if things are broken. Not if they aren’t working properly because they have decided to set it that way.
Have seen several newspaper complaints as well unfortunately.
Paid for the included food and it was low quality now. Staying for a week I got to try out most of the menu.
Hardly any staff around as they’ve been cut back.
Only use them now if there’s no choice. Holiday inn express or others seem much better.
It's never been easier to find hotels online and avoiding these chains is well worth it imo. They all feel soulless and are often on retail parks associated with other chain offerings of not great food.
A quick search on tripadvisor/hotels/booking etc along with a google map hunt of your desired area will deliver what you need and often at better value than the larger outfits. They will be random of course and you may get a few duds but over time you build a portfolio of decent ones which you can rely on.
I've always worked within less than generous expense policies but have found some absolute gems over time and been using a few for well over 20 years. Having said all that I stayed at premier inn Ipswich central on Saturday (not by choice) and while it was noisy and formulaic the breakfast was decent enough.
A quick search on tripadvisor/hotels/booking etc along with a google map hunt of your desired area will deliver what you need and often at better value than the larger outfits. They will be random of course and you may get a few duds but over time you build a portfolio of decent ones which you can rely on.
I've always worked within less than generous expense policies but have found some absolute gems over time and been using a few for well over 20 years. Having said all that I stayed at premier inn Ipswich central on Saturday (not by choice) and while it was noisy and formulaic the breakfast was decent enough.
They can be a bit variable in terms of when they were last done up, but in general PI is the least bad of the budget chains ime, and there is almost always a PI wherever you are going.
Some are really not bad - Newcastle centre (the Gate) is in an elegant twenties building that was the CoOp HQ and has lots of pleasing architectural details. Great location too.
I use them as a fallback if there is nothing else available - I prefer indies but you always take a chance with them the first time. Some are amazing, some like a trip back to the bad old days of seaside landladies.
Food is not great in PI. I avoid the out of town ones and try to eat somewhere else locally.
Some are really not bad - Newcastle centre (the Gate) is in an elegant twenties building that was the CoOp HQ and has lots of pleasing architectural details. Great location too.
I use them as a fallback if there is nothing else available - I prefer indies but you always take a chance with them the first time. Some are amazing, some like a trip back to the bad old days of seaside landladies.
Food is not great in PI. I avoid the out of town ones and try to eat somewhere else locally.
I stayed in the one in Leicester square a few times recently and have to say, for the price (around 150/night) it was very good. I did have one of their newer rooms the last visit and it was really nice - surprisingly large for central london, and the breakfast, sure it's cheap but I enjoyed it.
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