Premier InnReviews 

Terrible Customer Service and Zero Flexibility
(Book reference: ASG2265288 - made on Premier Inn Website)

Every year we attend a major trade fair at the NEC in Birmingham, and every year we choose Premier Inn. We typically book two or three rooms, as we travel with family, friends, and children while exhibiting at the event.

Until this year, we had always been happy with our stays.

We were staying at the Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre (Bridge Street) and everything was going well. However, after three days, we discovered that all trains back to London had been cancelled. With no practical way to get home, we decided to stay an extra night and travel back the following morning.

I went to reception and asked whether rooms were available. The staff member confirmed that they were, so I immediately went onto the Premier Inn website to make a booking.

Unfortunately, I made a mistake and accidentally booked a different Premier Inn hotel, located about 12 minutes away, and because it was a prepaid booking, payment was taken immediately. The moment I realised my error, I showed the booking confirmation to the receptionist. He told me there was nothing he could do.

I understood that he might have limitations, but we had three children, five suitcases, and I needed to be back at the NEC within 30 minutes to run our exhibition stand. Packing everything up and moving hotels was extremely difficult under the circumstances.

I tried calling customer services (again, I made the reservation via their website), but it was outside their operating hours. My family and I rushed to pack our belongings and checked out of our rooms. While at reception, we managed to contact customer services again and explained the situation in full. I wasn't asking for a refund. I wasn't asking for compensation. I simply wanted the reservation moved to the hotel I was already standing in, especially as both hotels were Premier Inn properties and the booking had been made directly through the Premier Inn website only minutes earlier.

To my surprise, they refused.

I then asked whether they could provide credit for a future stay. No.

Could they move the reservation to another date? No.

Could they at least refund the breakfast that we would not be using? No.

Every request was met with the same answer: no.

In the end, with an exhibition stand to manage at an event attended by more than 20,000 people, I gave up and moved to a hotel from a different chain (4 adults, 3 kids and many bags,,,)

I fully accept that the original booking error was my mistake. However, what disappointed me was the complete lack of flexibility, understanding, or willingness to help a loyal customer who has chosen Premier Inn year after year.

Mistakes happen. Good customer service is measured by how a company responds when they do.

Unfortunately, this experience has made me seriously reconsider staying with Premier Inn in the future.

My feeling: if you prepaid, don't expected they will help you.

Book reference: ASG2265288

Extremely disappointing stay at Premier Inn Euston.

The air conditioning in our room was not working, and the temperature stayed at around 31°C throughout the night. The room was unbearably hot, making it impossible to sleep, so we got virtually no rest at all.

My partner, who suffers from allergies, developed a severe rash on her hands which was made much worse by the excessive heat. I also felt unwell during the stay. When I spoke to reception, another couple were leaving the hotel because they were experiencing the same issue, which suggests this is not an isolated problem.

Premier Inn promotes a Good Night Guarantee, but that certainly wasn’t our experience. The rooms are in desperate need of updating, and the lack of effective climate control made for an uncomfortable and stressful stay.

I would not stay here again unless significant improvements are made.

I stayed at Dundee Centre near the railway station for 6 nights. They only occasionally cleaned my room, I asked every day for it to be cleaned and 3 times it wasn't done and once half cleaned. Once is forgivable but 3 times nothing done, something is seriously wrong with their system. Its not nice going to the bathroom and see a soiled toilet and dirty sink. There is no lever to empty the sink water or plug on a chain to pull so you have to put your hand in the water and fiddle with plug thing.
There's no brush to wipe away the toilet mess either.
It's very fiddly to put clothes on the hangers when the are attached to the rail and don't come off easily. Also the rail being at right angles to the wall and with another parallel wall restricting access, it was impossible to use.

Last week as very first time Premier Inn customer…We stayed 3-nights at Kettering Northants branch with Breakfast / Evening meal inc. All off the staff there were pleasant and helpful. Room was nice. Best (unlimited) quality breakfast ever had. Evening meal was adequate, but dining upgrades were available. Very pleasant touch with a ‘complimentary’ evening first drink. Probably will stay at other Premier’s.

Had a recent stay hotel was nice price great food was good to always nice staff willing and ready to help you. Was not to noisy either

Terrible customer service.
We stayed over May half term in Portsmouth city centre Premier Inn.
On arrival: our room wasn’t ready. The reception person said she will give us another room. We had requested a cot for our 2yo and of course that wasn’t there and the bed wasn’t suitable for our 2yo as it didn’t have a side so she would have fallen. When they eventually got us a cot it was too small and definitely not suitable for a 2yo.
Next day we ask for the bed to be put back (it’s in the same room but had no sheets) and we would place it next to the other bed as the cot was just too tiny. We also requested out room to be cleaned because the spoons and cups and floor were not clean when we checked in. We informed reception before 12pm as requested and put the sign outside our door. They ignored us and said that the staff had “forgotten” to put it on the system.
The next day we asked again for the cleaning and replacement of spoons and cups. They cleaned but never replaced the spoons and cups but also never filled the soap and toilet tissue which were very low.
The next day I had to ask AGAIN. They came in and replaced only soap and tissue - again nothing done about the cups and spoons so we had to get reusable cups.
It’s only one person looking after restaurant and reception in the morning during breakfast in such a busy period so you can imagine. One point, there was no toast when we walked in. I asked if they can fill up the toast and the lady said she will do it “in one minute”. She was happily sorting out room cards at the reception. 10 mins later I had to ask again because we had a schedule and were supposed to go on a ferry and we still had no breakfast. She was unhappy that I had asked and got up to fetch them.
To top this, they left us a sheet to say they need to enter the room to change the bedding - something the failed to do when they came in before - and because it was already the night before we leave we put a do not disturb sign because it would be a waste and more hassle possibly. We came back to someone entering our room to leave 2 extra pillows we didn’t ask for. So they entered despite us leaving a clear note that they shouldn’t be. This is our first and last stay at Premier Inns. And btw it wasn’t even half as busy as we had thought. Plenty of tables empty in restaurant after warnings that it’s “fully booked and there will be no room at 9am for breakfast”

What a wonderful find! this is the best breakfast we have ever had, great AC in the recent hot weather too.. staff are outstanding, we will be back!

Stayed at Bristol South Premier Inn and there were rats in the bushes next to the restaurant and also right by the reception in the bushes there. Upon returning to the hotel during the evening we saw 4 and one nearly ran over my foot!
Staff totally not bothered and neither are their head office . They replied to my enail saying sorry for the inconvenience !
They mention as long as the rats are not in the hotel then they are not going to look into your complaint any further .
Not a good stay for me sadly as Im petrified of rats and didnt sleep a wink my entire stay . We couldnt wait to leave and there was no way we were eating in the pub that also shared the rat problem .

Premier Inn - Edinburgh Park

I strongly advise choosing one of the other nearby hotels. Our stay was plagued by poor maintenance and lack of cleaning.
The room was dusty, the bathroom soap dispenser was disgusting and there was a large mystery beverage stain thrown across the wall. This stain is completely impossible to miss. Two ceiling spotlights were broken so parts of the room were not lit. The room was stuffy as the windows do not open and the lack of soundproofing meant we heard intrusive footsteps from the room above all night. The reception desk was completely unmanned every time we went past.

Stayed at Durham and I can’t fault the staff. The issues are higher up with head office not taking responsibility. Paid for an upgraded room as we needed ultimate WiFi. For the duration of our trip we had no WiFi and reception had no clue when or if it would be fixed. Coffee machine was giving out cold water which we thought it had been resolved but next morning was cold again.

On leaving lift stuck at floor 00 and doors wouldn’t open so we got it moving to floor one where I got out and walked down in the end.

Reported issues to customer relations and was told no refund due as the room doesn’t have a separate fee attached for WiFi. No good will gesture nothing.

Staff couldn’t do enough for us but based on the reply from customer relations and refusal to provide some refund for no internet during our stay we probably won’t return or use again. It’s a shame because the staff in the hotel are fab it’s higher up that let it down!

Our stay made up by the amazing service and hard work by mainly one member of the team at St. Albans city Premier Inn. Nahal was a great server in all the departments that she covered, Reception, Bar, Restaurant, and room service. She is by far the shining star at this location. The hotel itself is okay, no complaints.

Watch out for the floating bedside tables. Used table to steady myself, it gave way revealing 6 very sharp screws which opened up my back in three places, scarred 10 months on. Inappropriate way to secure the table, screws into low density chipboard. Whitbread simply not taking it seriously. Especially dangerous for elderly or toddlers. These screws are dangerous. Photo's on request of table and cuts.

Stayed at the Premier Inn St Pancras. Booked a non-refundable room for 1 night. In the morning there was no hot water - it was stone cold. Trying to find someone in charge was a challenge - reception was deserted. I found the duty manager who told me several other customers had complained. He couldn’t predict when the issue would be resolved. Guest relations was like talking with AI - they eventually offered a 26% reduction! Apparently as the issue was resolved with a few hours - after I had checked out - my inconvenience was somehow lessened! Don’t believe tge hype - premier inn is over priced and low quality. No staff to help and don’t care when things go wrong. Avoid.

Update 09.06.2026: Premier Inn listened to my feedback, apologised, and as a goodwill gesture refunded us the cost of the room we were unable to use. They also passed the feedback to the specific hotel.

Original review: Hotel is supposed to be accessible but we used the exterior disabled lift only to be trapped on a balcony because a supposedly automatic door wasn’t working. We asked for an armchair for our room so a disabled guest could be comfortable but team were unhelpful and did not try to provide one. Would not recommend for anyone with disabilities.

Premier Inn Newhaven and Lewes. Rooms ok, the ususal standard stuff, tea and coffee, tv, decent bed, relatively quiet, ac.

However: the unlimited English breakfast for £10.99? Disgusting and a rip off. Skip it, and simply go out and find a nice cafe or even McDonalds for breakfast.
Shockingly poor quality.

Premier inn london Barking
Reception staff on duty at 22.05, wednesday 27th may
Really rude customer service staff, was half asleep and couldn't be bothered talking to me. Wanted some information and he wanted to go back to sleep and hung up on me. Tried calling back and just ignored my phone calls.
My stay details are: AQH5432951

We have always had a very courteous welcome and a clean comfortable room. Their onsite restaurants are reasonably priced and usually fairly decent grub. Nothing negative.

Water was cold and slow. Fan was creating a horrible smell. Told staff about this. Nothing done. Went on their WhatsApp to inform them, came back accusing me of lying despite them making 2 things up about me and my stay.
You need to actually listen to the customer. I’ve told you what’s happened and you’ve came back to me with 2 complete lies. I’ve never rang the premier inn in my life and you’ve said I’ve made a phone call to you regarding early check in. Completely incorrect.
You’ve also said I never complained about an issue at your reception - yes I did on Saturday night. You’ll
Clearly be able to see me on the cctv if you actually look instead of pretending to deal with my complaint and shrugging it off like nothings happens. Ridiculous. WhatsApp agent completely dismissive. Won’t be going back.

Avoid if you have an infant — distressing experience

We stayed at Premier Inn Kendal Central over the long weekend and left genuinely shaken by how it ended.

Before booking, we called specifically to confirm our room would have a fridge, as we needed to store expressed breast milk for our 6-month-old daughter. We were told Premier Plus rooms have fridges, so that's what we booked. We were already aware that due to construction, there was no breakfast service and no on-site parking, frustrating, but manageable.

The serious problem came on our last morning. We left at 10am for breakfast, leaving a few items in the room including my wife's expressed breast milk in the fridge, stored in clearly identifiable baby bottles. The room also still had a baby cot set up in it, so there was no ambiguity at all about who was staying there or what those bottles contained. We still had the room key card with us the entire time. When we returned at 11:40am to check out, the room had been cleaned and the breast milk was gone from the fridge. Cleaning staff eventually handed us our belongings in a black bin bag. The milk was warm and we had no way of knowing whether it or the bottle had been contaminated, as the same cleaner could just as easily have been cleaning the bathroom moments earlier.

The Breastfeeding Network's guidance is that breast milk should only be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours, and the room was warm anyway given the weather outside. Once it had been removed from the fridge, handled by someone we don't know, and left out for an unknown length of time, it simply wasn't safe to give to our daughter.

Staff told us it was "an honest mistake," but we were holding the key card the entire time, the bottles were obviously baby bottles, and there was a cot in the room so I genuinely don't understand how it happened. When I tried to explain how serious this was, the receptionist spoke over me and didn't listen. When I asked if she had children herself, she replied "thank God no", an astonishingly cold thing to say to a parent standing in front of you describing exactly this situation. Reception said she would add noted to our booking and I have not heard from anyone.

Our daughter was due her feed at 2pm. My wife had no spare milk and, understandably stressed, sitting in the car was unable to pump more.
I walked to a pharmacy for formula in 30°C heat. Our daughter had never had formula before and refused to drink it, despite clearly needing fluids in that temperature. My wife sat in the car in tears and there was nothing I could do.

What I can't accept is the dismissiveness afterwards, the lack of basic care about what had been removed from the fridge, and a frontline staff member who responded to a distressed parent with sarcasm. For any family travelling with a baby, I would look elsewhere.

Paid for an Early check with room available from 11am to not get access to our room till 1.20pm and when I complained to Premier Inn direct I was told that paying for an early check in does not guarantee your room is ready early it is subject to availability and just prioritises my request !