About Premier Inns?

[KimberleyClark]

They’ve gone downhill IMO. Stayed in the one in Bodmin on the way to and from Cornwall. The first room we had the curtains were full of holes which we only noticed on waking up, on the way back, different room, one curtain was hanging almost half off the rail so couldn’t be closed. Nothing to drink water out of except the glass tea mugs. We stayed in one in Bromsgrove a few months back and the lift was out of order the whole time. I had a medium size suitcase and we were on the second floor. And they no longer do cooked breakfast buffet, you have to order it which I don’t like as I prefer to choose my own. And the continental breakkfast selection was very poor.

Some are great and some are bad. Usually the ones that are not purpose built are a bit rubbish.

I’m due to stay in one this week in Exeter, I’ll keep you posted!

The Premier Inn Hubs in London are brilliant. No complaints.

I've never had a problem with premier inns did you not ask for glasses they usually have wrapped plastic tumblers don't they? Sounds like you didn't have a pleasant experience which is a shame.

Just been in one over the weekend. Holes in the curtains and black mould and rust in the bathroom. Usually don't have an issue, this is a first.

Im going to one in weymouth in a few weeks they don't do breakfast either you can order a filled roll, but we are not that bothered will just go out and get something.

They vary. The newer built the better. They are fine for overnight or a couple of days. Personally I prefer Holiday Inn Express. They have 24 hour receptions, a bar and a lounge area.

Some are better than others. A lot of the originals are a bit old and scruffy now though

I stayed in one in Manchester last month, it was really lovely. Continental breakfast was lush, the cooked one seemed endless 😻

We have stayed in A LOT of PI's as we followed DC's sport around the country but that was a few years ago.

Generally found them basic but clean and reliable. We would always choose to stay in one if we had the choice and knew what to expect so it was fine.

Most recently we stayed in one just on the edge of Cheltenham and it was diabolically bad. Grubby, sparse and really really run down.
I def think the curtains were also wonky.
Seemed to be frozen in time decades ago.

It was awful but I have no way of knowing if it is an outlier or they are all going downhill but I would never stay in another one if they were all like this one!

Ah that's a shame OP. We stayed in 5 different ones when we went on a road trip over Easter and had no complaints at any of them. All the rooms were spotlessly clean, beds comfy, good breakfasts. One of them even put Easter eggs in our room as a surprise for our kids!

I've found the worst ones to be those they've taken over from other hotels and not refurbished yet, or the oldest that need a refresh. The majority are fine and fall somewhere in the middle.

I'm careful when booking anywhere there is a choice of PIs to work out which are the newer ones/check TA reviews etc.

I've also not come across any with a pre-order breakfast yet.

Reception can usually give you plates/glasses/cutlery if you ask.

We stayed in the York PI a couple of weeks ago, and it was really good. Breakfast was fantastic.

Yes I would imagine they spend a lot more on the ones in prestigious locations like central London.

The Hubs are all very new so have had no time to go off the boil. Some of the PIs in zone 2/3 are on the shabby side.

Varies massively

in London they are woefully understaffed which really shows at check in and breakfast which can be total chaos

there is a thread on here about me losing a kids toy at on in London earlier this year- they couldn’t have been less helpful but a mumsnetter came to the rescue!!

however I find the actual rooms ok. Except a noisy experience in York a couple of years ago where I complained and actually got all my money back.

Stayed 2 nights PI in a London suburb just outside ULEZ 2 weeks ago. All fine, plastic tumblers provided for drinking water and glass mugs for tea. Buffet breakfast was available, room was clean.

Much better than the equivalent TL, which we previously used.

I agree - we used to stay in them near Manchester, very basic but clean and comfortable.
Recently stayed near Gatwick prior to early flight. Bed was clean and comfy but fixtures and fittings looking tired and shabby, carpet not clean. The bathroom had seen better days / stained grouting, cracked tiles and thin towels.
The bar restaurant felt rather grotty too, the tables were sticky and chairs had crumbs and food remnants.

I use PIs a lot and have rarely had a bad experience though I agree that some of the older ones are getting a bit tired. They do seem to have an ongoing refurbishment programme though- I've stayed in a couple undergoing work in the last few months. But generally I find I get what I expect- basic but functional rooms and a decent breakfast which is generally all I need when travelling.
It varies from place to place whether the hot breakfast is cooked to order or buffet. I'm not sure of the rationale but I'd hazard a guess that cooking to order saves food waste, especially in less busy hotels. I actually prefer my breakfast freshly cooked anyway so see that as an improvement rather than going downhill, though serving yourself can be advantageous if you're really in a hurry.
Given the choice, my preferred budget hotels are Holiday Inn Express but there aren't as many of those so PI is probably the chain I use most and whilst they're nothing to get excited about I'd say they mostly do what it says on the tin. There are over 800 PIs in the country and whilst there are doubtless some that are not up to standard I don't think it's really fair to say the whole chain has gone downhill because of a couple of bad experiences.

They’re a real mixed bag I think - some are massively improved but some very tired.

Having stayed in 4 different ones recently, I agree they aren’t what they used to be. It annoys me that you only get 1 hand towel regardless of how many people are on the booking, and if you request a cot, you don’t get any towel at all for the baby (yes I could go to reception to ask, but I shouldn’t have to).

Only 1 (uncomfortable and) sad looking pillow per person on the bed as standard, horrible toilet roll and never any decaf coffee sachets in the ‘box’ now.

Can I cope if I’ve paid <£50 for the room? Yes. Do I grumble about it not being the purple palace of yore if I have paid more? Also yes 🤣

They vary. The Blackfriars premier inn is lovely. The Euston premier inn is absolutely dreadful, one of the few hotels where I’ve felt unsafe.

I quite like Ibis (the top of the range one, not Styles or Budget). Rooms are on the small side but clean and modern and breakfast is fine.

Love a Prem

Most are good and when you book one you know what youre getting.

Only had one bad one so far, Newhaven. It was old and scruffy.

Agree. Just came back from a road trip where we stayed 7 nights in 3 locations. In all bedrooms were clean. Public areas in the 1st (Harrogate) were minging (wish I hadn't prepaid for breakfast). Reminded me of my DDs cheap student accommodation Too few staff. Cambridge was as fine but still issues with staffing at breakfast. In Matlock same again. I felt sorry for poor guy covering front of house at breakfast. He was run off his feet.

I'd go elsewhere in the future. Check out TripAdvisor for the bed bug reports too. One we stayed at had issues.

As my name change suggests I used to work in PI, in the HQ. I'd suggest contacting the Guest Relations team if things are subpar as in my experience they may refund at least some of the price of your stay. Reputation is everything to PI so they'd prefer parting with a couple of hundred quid or whatever to having an unhappy customer.