Premier Inn?

I've stayed in a number of them throughout the UK.

Clean, quiet, basic, while the outside of the hotels look different, the rooms are very similar. They are of good value and I've never felt unsafe.

The beds are comfortable. I'll stay in them in the future without hesitation.

If you're looking for "English charm" this isn't it.

I'll choose a Premier Inn in a town I have never been to over a quaint place because with PI, I know what I am getting. Others do differently.

We stayed in the Premier Inn Paddington Basin a couple of times last June.

Spotless. Decent steak restaurant/bar with happy hour. Within walking distance to the train station and the Tube station--300 yards.

Good mid line hotel chain.

From this specific property, you can be sitting in Heathrow Airport in 45 minutes.

I really like Premier Inns. I stayed at several last year when I was in Scotland, and had a very pleasant stay. The beds are comfortable, the rooms are clean, the staff is pleasant and competent and the price is very reasonable. Best of all they are consistently good. I'm with Frank in that I do not like surprises when it comes to hotels.

PIs are in good locations so you can almost always find one. Breakfast is usually not included, but you can buy it for a decent price (I think I paid around £7 for a continental breakfast and £9 for a hot meal).

I will be staying at the Premier Inn County Hall (in South Bank) when I head to London in mid-May for 5 nights. I decided to get the Premier Plus room, which gives me upgraded wifi, a mini fridge, a larger work area and a bit more room. For that, I am paying £140 per night. The standard room was around £125, I believe.

Here are some posts you might want to review as well:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/requesting-opinions-of-certain-premier-inns-in-london
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/london-premier-inn-centrally-located-but-best-deal

I've stayed in several Premier Inns in England and Scotland. I agree with everyone's comments, but I particularly like the locations. No, they aren't usually charming, but sometimes a good night's sleep in a clean room is exactly what you need and appreciate. Very much good value. I use them for the same reason I use Holiday Inn Express or Hilton Garden Inn in the U.S.

Clean, practical, and comfortable lodging. Never felt unsafe.

Throughly enjoyed my stays at both the Chiswick
and Richmond Premiere Inns. Stayed in those outlaying neighborhoods by choice. Both were well kept. Each fairly close to Underground stations. Would return to either without hesitation.

First time visitors would be best served by staying in PI’s closer to the city center. I’m considering Westminster as the city center.

If this is your first visit to London definitely research the County Hall and Victoria PI’s.

When I am looking for a hotel that gives me a consistent product and value for money, I choose Premier Inn. I don’t expect anything beyond a clean room in a good location at a reasonable price and I am never disappointed.

We have used Premier Inns in London for a number of years. Usually, 2X per year.

Always reliable. Always more reasonable than similar level accommodations. As others have said, not fancy, not charming.

For us the beds are comfortable and fancy hotels are not our thing.
We generally do the optional breakfast. Is it a fantastic breakfast? No, but it is priced right, reasonably good, and convenient. Some folks may prefer to venture out and you have that option because you can sign up for them day by day if you like.

Best to book direct and early as prices generally rise... sometimes substantially if you procrastinate. We always do flex refundable which is the most expensive rate. Not a fan of non-refundable even though they sometimes are much cheaper. Sunday nights are usually very cheap and Saturdays the highest, but rates vary depending on occupancy predictions.

One other thing. There is a glitch on the website associated with the time/day difference.
When you do a search for your rooms it will display the price for the dates you selected which will be correct. However, if you look at the breakdown per night or the online reservation as displayed on the website it will have you arriving a day earlier and well as departing a day earlier. Initially I freaked out but now realize the email confirmation is right. I have actually had no problems with the actual reservations upon checking in so I don't worry about it as long as I can see the correct dates in the email. Some others have reported that this is sorted in the App, but I have not checked that.

I stayed in two Premier Inns in Scotland last year. I agree with what everyone has said.

However, when I'm traveling for pleasure, one of the pleasures I get is arriving at a new hotel or guesthouse or B&B and discovering my room. Sometimes the discovery is a letdown, but it's still part of the fun of traveling. I got no such pleasure at the Premier Inns where I stayed. It was quite disappointing to stay in such a generic room so utterly lacking in character. For that reason, I wouldn't choose to stay at a Premier Inn again.

Very, very nice beds, to the point that the people who provide them with the mattresses sell them through the Premier Inn website to enthusiastic customers.

We have stayed at Premier Inns & Hub by Premier. the Hub by Premier is the lower price arm of the chain. I think the Hub by Premier rooms are a bit smaller. They are pretty well laid out with a decent amount of storage. In Edinburgh we did have to open our suitcases on the bed. Which is a bit of a hassle but we were there only 1 night. We have stayed at both ends of the PI and won't hesitate to use them again in the UK

We used the Hub by Premier at St James in London and it was very convienent. About a block to the Tube & 1/4 mile to Westminster

I would recommend booking with the app if possible because the website can be a bit glitchy. The app works really well.

Picking up on Lane's point I love Premier Inns for their dependability. Especially in London I have had too much disappointment with solo rooms at independent hotels (both the rooms and a big thing with me, fire escape routes). I know many people here like Paddington. For some reason my company liked to use the Paddington area although nowhere near our central London work sites, but all I ever got were poor quality places. That was when I eventually said I was going to and staying in Southend (for almost 11 years)- the commuting time way offset the far better standards I got. At other stages I also commuted in from Horley (Gatwick Airport) and from Tunbridge Wells having been on jobs in those towns and liking the hotels I got.

So I just always use PI or other chains (Travelodge or Accor Group) in a city, because I know exactly what I am going to get.

In Rural areas I do try hard to use B and B's, mindful that PI profits just go to a big corporate (Whitbread brewery or whatever they are now after brewery mergers). But B and B's sure make it difficult. Next week I am in Bude, Cornwall. Reluctantly I am staying at the PI as they are offering the keenest price (by a big margin) and importantly do breakfast early- not the 8, 8.30 and even 9 am beloved of West Country B and B's. I have to be on the road by 9am, preferably 7.30am, I can't hang around half the day waiting for breakfast. And it's the kind of brutal but necessary trip I am getting way too old for- 32 hour journey on the way down, and 39 on the way back. So I totally have to know I have a good room for the one solid night's exhausted sleep of the week and good wi-fi. PI give me that.

I agree with you about B&B quality. 20+ years ago there was no alternative to B&Bs in a lot of rural areas and the experience was often weird or uncomfortable. I really avoid them now even though a lot have moved upmarket to be more ‘boutique’. I quite like the anonymity of a chain hotel.

Agree with the comments above. When travelling to a town I am not familiar with I ALWAYS look for a PI option first. I want dependable not quaint.

We had a great experience with London PI Victoria in 2022. It is located in a quiet area. Agree with the comments on prioritizing function over charm when booking. Above all, I want to sleep in a comfortable bed. We are also tall (5' 11" and husband is 6' 3") so prefer beds without footboards.

To add, Premier Inns operate with minimal staff but I always find them to be helpful and friendly.

I’m a big fan of the new £10 early check in option. Some of the large London hotels didn’t allow early check at all before and I find it worth the money for an extra few hours in the room. I don’t know if it’s in operation everywhere. Some of the smaller hotels would allow you to check in early if the room was ready for no extra charge.

I think the Hub by Premier rooms are a bit smaller.

Quite a bit smaller !

I've stayed at several Premier Inns now and never been disappointed. The wifi is now a bit better than it was.

There are some now in continental Europe. There was one across from the Holiday Inn Express in Saarbrücken, Germany.

There are some now in continental Europe. There was one across from the Holiday Inn Express in Saarbrücken, Germany.

That's interesting, Nigel. Good to know, although I do like the Motel One chain in Germany. But they mostly seem to be in the larger cities.

My preference is for cheaper places; I don't object to tiny rooms with views of airshafts. However, if I'm traveling in England (as opposed to Scotland) in the summer, I like to have air conditioning, and most PIs are air conditioned. it's very difficult to beat Premier Inn's rates for an air-conditioned hotel.

We stayed in one at Kings Cross overnight when we took the Eurostar to London for our flight home. it was safe and rather bland hotel chain. If you want quaint, nice soap toiletries and towels, this is not for your. But the room was fine and the bed was fine. Plus there was a Costa coffee attached as well as a shopping center and pubs nearby.

I have also stayed in Motel One in Munich which I highly recommend. Not spacious but clean comfy and a decent breakfast.

Not in London but I stayed in one in Bude, Cornwall on Wednesday. Good, efficient local staff, nothing too much trouble. Air Con and for once a window that opened properly. Slept like a baby. Took the £19 meal deal - two course dinner with alcoholic drink and breakfast. They employ a chef, not a cook. At breakfast the buffet was cooked in small batches, and eggs cooked to order.
For effectively £4 the dinner was very acceptable -far from gourmet, but freshly cooked and good quality. Sure it's frozen!!
And £35 paid for the room, off season.
Right in the centre of town.
There is no other score than 10/10, for its price point. I'd rather stay there than whatever the best hotel in town is.

Thank you to everyone who responded to this thread. I've booked my room for London and I'm very happy with how it looks. Will report back after my trip!

I have stayed in numerous Premier Inns all over the UK and they have been great value for money, Someone mentioned you can buy their beds and mattresses, well i did so last month, mattresses are really comfortable.

We stayed at the County Hall location last summer. With the currency difference to the Canadian dollar, they're an affordable option for us. Yikes! The room was clean and adequate. I really liked the location. We didn't do the breakfast but there is a Starbucks about 100 metres away we would dash to each morning and a really nice bakery nearby. I also liked being able to go to M and S to grab fruit or snacks.

I did find it hard to get towels- they seem to be hesitant to hand them out. As a matter of fact our room had one towel when we arrived, which was strange.

Our view was a pretty unsightly courtyard, which didn't really bother me. We were usually only in the room to sleep. That being said, we did consider maybe bumping it up a bit this next trip for that full service hotel experience Premier Inn does not have- nice lobby, staff anxious to please- but in the end we decided to save our money on accommodations and spend it on meals, adventures, cocktails etc! :-)

Based on recommendations from the RS Travel Forum, we stayed at the Hub by Premier Inn at Westminster in early July 2024. We got the room with the King Bed. It was a small, basic room, but the bed was comfy and the shower was full sized. The restaurant in the hotel was good and has coffee and tea 24 hours. The only complaint I had was that they do not provide washcloths. But, you could make a charity donation and get a free wash cloth in the lobby. I would definitely stay here again. The location was perfect! We were one block from Westminster Abbey, and very close to the National Gallery. We are good walkers, so we were able to get pretty much everywhere we wanted to go by walking. Covent Garden was only a 15-20 minute walk. St. James Park is nearby - you can walk through it to get to Buckingham Palace. It is very lovely and has a nice pond with ducks and swans in it. Compared to the Sanctuary House, the price was considerably more reasonable...and we were only 2 doors down.

The only complaint I had was that they do not provide washcloths

Washcloths are very unusual to find at any UK hotel. They're seen as a personal item - like a toothbrush - and to be honest I think usage is dying out in Britain.

I don’t think anyone here uses cloths to actually wash their body. We had them growing up but they don’t seem to be thing any more. I have some small ones that I use to take makeup off but if I’m away from home I use disposable face wipes instead.

I have used something like this from Amazon for my travel the last few years. They are also wonderful for removing makeup at the end of the day.
https://www.amazon.com/Classycoo-Compressed-Disposable-Portable-Activities/dp/B09MQKZPNP/ref=sr_1_7?crid=Z5221H9IGHWA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pCYTubOuohlRFUBDD4c2gxedqcTc7cA_iVedJYoCkASqBocyN3shHYOQALGA4tT7D-wj45nsxPb_XUBTctYrlARFh4Z1HyM1oYcuKCpxZdx1hiQ0J2TODjz5gtc4THSvdxcI2F0RO092qpdChICuKlGGmqKCXETrB1tKDnSii9ZwuT1r1qnjVYU37tcQJ0zlGCDljyq5UNqWhL2Q47KO-cUJOPXfmY0KGPnbggUe2fGt0pvejVR1tSEgWc0QdszS3ZfkhmK1HHxM4UsEDq_qOTefa8NO9bPpEeaLHwXNV3g.-W1c86EuD0hrWxrzbDoQLRQNr8xeyFjZaoEcLxFpznI&dib_tag=se&keywords=disposable+wash+cloth+for+travel&qid=1722450889&sprefix=disposable+wash+cloth+%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-7

The new Premier Inn at Paddington, across the street from the Paddington Station is wonderful.
We highly recommend their "Premier Plus" rooms. Very safe location. Clean & very comfortable.
Excellent breakfast & also good choices for dinner.

We were very pleased with our stay at the Soho Hub in late September. The room was quite small and it's a cookie-cutter hotel, so no charm, but the price tag was acceptable and the size worked for us. The biggest surprise was how quiet this location is, despite sitting in the middle of Soho. It just happens to be a quiet block with almost no motor vehicle traffic. Our room was clean and the hotel felt safe to us. There was a front-desk clerk at all hours, as far as we could tell. And it was within easy walking distance of just about everything we wanted to see. Don't count on early check-in, though. It's very popular and every afternoon we saw forlorn travelers waiting for their slot to open up. Fortunately there's a nice bar downstairs with wifi and spotless toilets. I think we DID have washcloths here, a rarity on our European travels.