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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder wtf is going on with Premier Inn?

89 replies

CristosBreakfastPie · 07/10/2021 11:51

I remember when Premier inn were a company with amazing customer service. The quality was very consistent, and you could pretty much guarantee a clean room, a good breakfast, and even a refund if there were any issues (there were rarely ANY) .Premier inn was a brilliant, yet affordable option for families.
Lately I’ve had to stay in a few for work, and the experience has been nightmarish. But it seems I’m not alone. Typing #premierinn into Twitter reveals an endless stream of horror stories, really dangerous oversights (hygiene and health and safety), and absolute failures of basic customer service standards.
My personal experience was horrible enough (bed bug infestation in the room 🤢🤢🤢), but it seems this is far from unique … there are countless TripAdvisor posts with photographs of bugs and bites, all with generic responses from whitbread.. "we’ll get back to you about this shortly" type responses. And it doesn’t stop at bugs. Filth, doors that don’t lock, disregard for fire safety regs, mould…. It just goes on and on.
Premier inn has ways to make complaints, including an online form and a customer services line. But none of them are working. They occasionally (once a fortnight )engage with the Twitter dm function, but only to request more information and prolong the complaints procedure.
Even the hotels themselves no longer seems to answer calls at all ?
What is going on at Premier inn???

OP posts:
riceuten · 07/10/2021 13:18

@CristosBreakfastPie

I think people who turn to vent their frustration on Twitter do so because they’ve exhausted other avenues and received no response? After all , Premier inn require guests who bring complaints to hotel reception to fill in an online form (especially if the guest believes they deserve a refund), so going directly to Twitter would be pointless. You’d still be asked to fill out the online form.
...and get completely ignored, which is my experience.

This is why people take to Twitter and Tripadvisor reviews, which I believe Premier Inn request the removal of.

blessedday · 07/10/2021 13:26

I'm literally just back from 3 nights staying in a Premier Inn - couldn't have been better really. Clean, comfortable and very helpful, smiley staff.

onlychildhamster · 07/10/2021 13:30

I stayed in one last year during the pandemic, one in stratford upon avon. It was practically empty due to lack of tourists on bus tours to visit Shakespeare's birthplace. Was really nice.

But the prices are really high at the moment, so can't justify the price for premier inn when I can pay a little more and get a really nice hotel

Scbchl · 07/10/2021 13:30

Id imagine its due to losing staff who never returned after the pandemic. When they are fairly cheap they likely pay pretty poorly and hospitality staff have had their pick as so many have left the industry completely so why return to a poor paid job if there's better options. Or it could be they have lost staff who were experienced and now had to replace with inexperienced new staff.

Original poster
CristosBreakfastPie · 07/10/2021 13:34

It’s good that plenty of people still have a good experience.

OP posts:
overnightangel · 07/10/2021 13:36

I’ve stayed at quite a few in the last 6 months around the country (7 or 8 different ones) and had nothing but good things to say

GoWalkabout · 07/10/2021 13:48

I was looking for a hotel on booking. Com last night and the most recent reviews for almost every hotel were awful - 'run down', 'in need of decorating', 'dirty' - it made me think the whole industry is really struggling probably.

ProfessionalWeirdo · 07/10/2021 13:56

@Howshouldibehave

This is the only way you can contact them via email (as they don’t answer the phone).

They will apparently reply within 35 days!

This morning I was watching Rip-Off Britain, and they had a feature on delivery companies who don't respond to complaints. One of their experts suggested that before deciding whether or not to use a delivery company, go to their website, click on "Contact Us" and see how easy it would be to get in touch with them. He said that if you can't even contact them with a general query, it follows that you won't be able to contact them with a complaint. This might help you decide whether or not to give the company your business.

Good advice for companies in general, not just delivery firms in particular.

ouchmyfeet · 07/10/2021 13:58

@Crabwoman

I would imagine that like the rest of the hospitality industry they are struggling to fully staff their hotels, which has a knock on effect om management, customer service, house keeping, maintenance etc.

We stayed in one during the summer and they were back to providing a full buffet service. Customer service was excellent, but they were clearly short staffed and run ragged.

This. It'll be brexit
lockdownmadnessdotcom · 07/10/2021 14:05

I agree, I think students would be happy to do hospitality jobs but they may be fussy about shift patterns because they have to fit with their lectures etc. But it can't be that hard.

I stayed in a Premier Inn recently that I'd stayed in before (Bilbrough York for those who know it). It was fine - clean and the lady on reception was extremely pleasant (and British - it's a fallacy that British staff are rubbish). BUT they were low on staff so weren't offering evening meals and breakfast was limited. It was also £100 a night more than the last time I stayed there 3 years ago despite not being in the city centre. It was university drop off weekend, I think their pricing algorithm is working just fine ;)

ShakespearesSisters · 07/10/2021 14:08

We stayed in 3 different ones over the summer holidays (2 night stays, 2 adults 2 kids, very reasonable price). All were clean and tidy, check in and out was easy. Breakfast was great. One was full buffet as it had been prepandemic but 2 asked what items you wanted and bought to the table for hot food, I thought this was much better and must have produced less waste. (Continental was buffet still).

WindUpBird · 07/10/2021 14:09

I know someone who works in housekeeping for a Premier Inn. She is working all hours because they are severely understaffed due to Brexit. A mutual acquaintance started working with her and lasted only 2 days in the job because it was such hard work!
I’ve booked a stay in a Premier Inn next month, fingers crossed I have a good experience!

MrsFin · 07/10/2021 14:13

I've never had a problem with Premier Inn.

As a PP said, it's probably due to being short staffed during and post Covid.

Wiredforsound · 07/10/2021 14:28

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

They no longer have cheap labour from abroad. English people don't want that kind of work and won't accept shit pay and conditions.
What kind of pay do you you want for cleaning hotel bedrooms? This tired old trope is clearly bollocks. Let’s face it, they could double the minimum wage and they’d still struggle to recruit because too many people just don’t want to work. They’d rather sit on their arses complaining about the forrins taking their jobs. What sort of jobs would this imaginary workforce be willing to do? Because I’m pretty sure Kevin with his 1 GCSE in woodwork isn’t going to get a job as a surgeon any time soon.
ballsdeep · 07/10/2021 14:30

I've always loved the premier Inn. I recently booked and was told my check in time.wouldnbe later ,3 instead of 12 , to give them time to clean
I am fine with that

SpiderinaWingMirror · 07/10/2021 14:30

I'm a frequent user and have had no issues, although the ones I stay in tend to be large towns, rather than cities.
It's a shame because they used to have a really good reputation for what they did. Affordable(agree not surge pricing though), clean and reliable. It would be a shame if they chucked thar away. New competitors like Moxy could steal a march on them.

ProfessionalWeirdo · 07/10/2021 15:56

it's probably due to being short staffed during and post Covid

Another example of Covid being used as a convenient excuse for problems that are really caused by Brexit?

AliceMcK · 07/10/2021 16:06

I’m a big premier inn fan, very rarely had a complaint about them. But have had bed bugs in the past, they jump (pardon the pun) onto them as soon as they are notified. I’m guessing as everyone else has said there is a shortage of staff, both covid and brexit would have a huge impact on them, regardless of how big a company they are. Maybe if it was just brexit or just covid then things could be managed better, but no one could have predicted a world wide pandemic hitting at the same time the country was preparing for brexit.

I think everyone just has to accept that for some time things might not be quite as we are use to them in some aspects of our lives.

Original poster
CristosBreakfastPie · 07/10/2021 16:34

There are some very charitable posters on this thread with plenty of sympathy for Whitbread and their predicament. They still managed to pay their bigwigs massive performance bonuses despite cutting 1500 jobs due to Covid. They’re running a skeleton service yet charging the same price while pretending nothing has changed…it’s pretty insincere imo. Especially while staff are bending over backwards to pick up the slack of the highly paid managers.

OP posts:
Biscoffee · 07/10/2021 17:00

@toomanyblankets

My daughter (6) found the plastic part of a syringe under our bed when we last stayed. Sent in a complaint - have heard nothing. That was a month ago.
Why would you complain about that?
Original poster
CristosBreakfastPie · 07/10/2021 17:09

Presumably because finding a piece of debris from a previous guests stay would indictate that the room hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned @biscoffee ?
I mean what’s acceptable? If missing a part of a syringe is an easy mistake for housekeeping , the surely so is missing a dangerous pill, or a used condom?

OP posts:
CorrBlimeyGG · 07/10/2021 17:11

There are some very charitable posters on this thread

AKA People with different experiences to you?

SmileySandwich · 07/10/2021 17:12

You're only going to see complaints on twitter really

Biscoffee · 07/10/2021 17:18

@CristosBreakfastPie

Presumably because finding a piece of debris from a previous guests stay would indictate that the room hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned *@biscoffee* ? I mean what’s acceptable? If missing a part of a syringe is an easy mistake for housekeeping , the surely so is missing a dangerous pill, or a used condom?
I think the post about the plastic shield from the syringe was mentioned it was music to year ears because it would appear that the majority of the posters replying to you, myself included, don’t recognize the Premier Inn you’ve moaned about in your opening post.
Original poster
CristosBreakfastPie · 07/10/2021 17:23

No @CorrBlimeyGG I mean posters who think having poorly paid staff working their asses off to compensate for huge staff cuts and cost cutting measures when executives take huge bonuses is acceptable.
It’s as if the fact that the hotel staff slog themselves senseless is evidence enough for people that Premier inn are having a hard time and we should all suck it up because …Covid. Or because brexit. When really it’s largely because…. Greed.

OP posts: