Premier Inn Hotels

Premier Inns are competing everyday for business; they just aren’t generally selling through third party sites. Direct booking is part of their pricing strategy.

If you go to their website, you will see that they have both flexible rates and saver rates (cheaper, but non cancellable). About five years ago, I got a couple of nights in London for the unbelievably low rate of 50 GBP/night. It was a saver rate, so it required paying upfront.

Sometimes the rate varies drastically by day.

Why pay to use comparison sites when the hotels are usually full most nights? There website is easy enough to use and you can search a wide geographical area.

Yeah, Premier Inns don’t need to be on the comparison sites.

Very popular with Brits, whether families or business class. You know the rooms will be super-clean and quite big (compared to many British hotels), beds will be super-comfortable, staff will be exceptionally friendly (I can only conclude it must be a nice place to work because staff are consistently lovely), breakfast will be decent and plentiful.

For families it means the comfort of knowing what you’re going to get. I travel for business and often use them, for the same reason.

I’m not sure they’re always the best choice for foreign visitors because they certainly aren’t characterful but I think they get recommended a lot because they’re just so... acceptable & clean & comfy.

Yes, they are enough of a brand not to need the comparison sites, and, as everyone else says, they're identikit but that in itself is the guaranteed-quality attraction. My father liked their beds so much he asked the receptionist who made them and bought one himself for home!

I like Premier Inns and book them directly through their app. It couldn't be easier. And I know what I'm going to get. I've never had a problem with them.

You can find reviews of Premier Inn on TripAdvisor.

I've twice stayed at the Heathrow T4 Premier Inn and am thrilled with the location and price. I have several more Premier Inns booked for my 2019 trip. However, heaven help you if you have a question that is not answered on the (insufficiently descriptive) corporate website. Do not expect to get an answer to an email. Assume you will have to dig for a telephone number and call.

I stayed in a Premier Inn by Kings Cross for a night before departing Europe. As others have said, it's a chain sort of like a Motel Eight. The lighting was rather dim and the only soap in bathtub/shower was bath gel in a dispenser but it had a flat screen TV, desk and was relatively clean. If you're not looking for quaint, it's a fine stay.

"I’m not sure they’re always the best choice for foreign visitors because they certainly aren’t characterful but I think they get recommended a lot because they’re just so... acceptable & clean & comfy."

Yes, the irony is that foreign visitors staying in "typically English" places are meeting mostly other foreigners, while staying in a "not characterful" Premier Inn lets you see lots of other UK residents. If you want to "meet the locals" in the UK, look no further than a Premier Inn breakfast room!

Southwest Airlines is another well known company that does not participate in any airline search sites (they're not on Kayak, Google Flights, etc). You have to go to their own website to find and book flights with Southwest. Just like Premier Inn, it seems to work fine for them.

If you are interested in Premier Inn and have any difficulty booking on the web, do use their app (a tip I got from a staff member). And if you are sure of your plans, their non-refundable rates can save a lot of money.

Yes, think Harold has nailed it.

When I have to travel within England and need a hotel, I look up the nearest Premier Inn. As does pretty much anyone else I know. And he's right that when you go to the restaurants/bars for evening snacks/meals/breakfast, its full of Brits.

I have no interest in "quaint" - think I would run very fast in the opposite direction from anywhere that advertised themselves in that way.

I usually know what dates I want, so usually book their non-refundable cheaper option.