I may live to regret this as I've used this place several times when the Premier Inn has been busy or too expensive (and I don't want to find it fully booked by visiting Americans when I next need a room - much as I love you all!), but there's an excellent alternative to the PI when staying in Stirling. The Highland Gate is owned by the Marston's pub chain and is a very similar offering to the Premier Inn chain, with comparable pricing. In my opinion the breakfast offering is better than PI as it is cooked to order with a limited buffet offering of croissants, toast, cereal, fruit and juice. The breakfast is served in the adjacent pub and their evening meals are pretty decent and reasonably priced. The location is very convenient for the M9 motorway
They have 6 hotels in Scotland (including Balloch near Loch Lomond & Dunfermline - a good option if flying out of Edinburgh) and quite a few in England.
Jacqui (Skyegirl)