Let's talk Premier Inn

[John Bull]

53 minutes ago, dickinson said:

Thanks. I did see them and read they are small. Didn’t know some don’t have windows!

 

 

Even rooms in His Majesty's P.I. Slade have windows

 

 

 

JB 😏

[Meander Ingwa]

There are both Euston and St Pancras PIs, each within 1 block, across street of each station.  There is also a King Cross PI just at the east entrance of same and a Hub 1 block north of that.  Hubs are great for those who need a convenient, inexpensive, no frills compact place to sleep.  Hub appeal, perhaps, to a younger crowd and has a slight tech vibe.

[cruiseanon32]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

Even rooms in His Majesty's P.I. Slade have windows

 

 

 

JB 😏

I remember Porridge, good memories

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, Meander Ingwa said:

There are both Euston and St Pancras PIs, each within 1 block, across street of each station.  There is also a King Cross PI just at the east entrance of same and a Hub 1 block north of that.  Hubs are great for those who need a convenient, inexpensive, no frills compact place to sleep.  Hub appeal, perhaps, to a younger crowd and has a slight tech vibe.

Thank you for that. I knew about Euston and St Pancras, but not King’s Cross. 

[Cotswold Eagle]

12 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

“Hub by Premier Inn” which may appear to be cheaper. 

You are quite right to say “may”!  In practice, in London I often see the Hubs priced more or less in the same range as nearby Premmier Inns. 
 

More generally, I feel that Premier Inn’s dynamic pricing model has got considerably more dynamic since the pandemic. You can still find rooms in London or at the airports priced at around £70 (which to me represents remarkable value) , but on other dates the same rooms willl cost you over £200, including Hubs. Certainly the average room rate is up significantly, but Whitbread have pulled off a neat trick of still positioning Premier Inn as a budget hotel brand in the public perception.

 

That’s not a complaint, I admire them for their success. Of course, value can only be judged against their competitors in the same area on the same dates, but I struggle to imagine paying £248 for a Premier Inn 😀

Edited October 7, 2023 by Cotswold Eagle

[fruitmachine]

10 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

There are both Euston and St Pancras PIs, each within 1 block, across street of each station.  There is also a King Cross PI just at the east entrance of same and a Hub 1 block north of that.  Hubs are great for those who need a convenient, inexpensive, no frills compact place to sleep.  Hub appeal, perhaps, to a younger crowd and has a slight tech vibe.

If you're considering a Premier Inn Hub, then check out Zedwell. 

My son travels frequently to London and this is usually his first choice.  For sleep quality, he'd now stay in a high quality windowless room over the similarly-priced alternatives.  Brilliant location is just a bonus.

[Baggy178]

Consider also Travelodge which is PI's main competitor.

Good locations, similar price range.

I used to be a big PI fan but less so now.

They are no longer a budget range and in many cases are now more expensive than other hotels locally.

Rooms are often stuffy with poor ventilation - some have windows that don't open.

I have also lost count of the number of times I've woken up very hot during the night to find the A/C has turned itself off and it's happened in too many different locations across the country to make it bad luck.

There is also no difference in the thick duvet in summer or winter - and in summer I've often sweltered.

Choose location very carefully - if the price is cheap there's usually a reason.

Some PIs are in soulless industrial parks or in parts of the City that are deserted after dark with few amenities nearby.

Check out the usual aggregators or even Google Maps to find what else is in the area you're looking at.

If you get a good rate at PI at County Hall take it as the location is second to none.

And as I wrote at the top consider Travelodge UK.

 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Baggy178

[Harters]

Travelodge can be a decent bet, particularly on price. But, equally they can be disappointing, particularly with older properties. I used to stay in the one in Brentford for several days at a stretch when I was researching at the National Archives. It was OK, but then Premier did some price adjusting, which brought it much closer, so I transferred to there as it was generally more comfortable. 

 

Stayed in the Travelodge in Llandudno about 18 months back and it was very basic and in need of  some hefty refurbishment. Then, on the other hand, I stayed in the one in Hexham. That had only been open a fortnight and was one of their new, more upmarket, builds. Pleasant enough stay for a couple of nights, while we were exploring Hadrians Wall (didnt get to see the famous tree at Sycamore Gap and obviously now never will).

[Cotswold Eagle]

2 hours ago, Baggy178 said:

Consider also Travelodge which is PI's main competitor

Not sure I agree with that, and I would bet Whitbread don’t think so. 
 

I’d bracket Travellodge with Ibis and Days Inn as genuine budget chains and they’d have to be at a significant discount to a nearby Premier Inn for me to even consider them. 
 

As Harters says, there is a much wider inconsistency across their locations. The new design looks good, but I haven’t experienced it. Some of the older ones are not great at all! 

[JimmyTheSaint]

On 10/6/2023 at 5:21 AM, liberty176 said:

Does anyone have a recommendation for *which* Premier Inn in Central London?  We're a family of four and want to be near a good tube stop, considering PI Blackfriars or Kings Cross, but open to others.  Definitely want good tube access for major sights (Tower, British Museum, Westminster, etc.).  

We've just returned home from a weekend in London to take in the Buffalo Bills v Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game. We stayed in the Premier Inn London Bank which is 5 minutes walk to the Tower of London. It's less than 5 minutes walk to the Monument to the Great Fire of London and the Monument Underground station. A few minutes walk to the Sky Garden, one minute to the river Thames more or less facing HMS Belfast and about half way in between Tower Bridge and London bridge.

 

We stayed in a standard room that had A/C, hairdryer in the room, tea & coffee and a work desk with chair. There are premium rooms that have a fridge in the room. The hotel has a restaurant and bar in the basement. The food was fine, nothing special but not bad. 

[Baggy178]

19 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Not sure I agree with that, and I would bet Whitbread don’t think so. 
 

I’d bracket Travellodge with Ibis and Days Inn as genuine budget chains and they’d have to be at a significant discount to a nearby Premier Inn for me to even consider them. 
 

As Harters says, there is a much wider inconsistency across their locations. The new design looks good, but I haven’t experienced it. Some of the older ones are not great at all! 

 

 

Travelodge are slowly refurbishing their estate - most of the ones I've ever stayed at in London or nearby have been fine.

I still use PI ( they're great in Dubai ! ) but I do use more cheaper alternatives as well these days.

PI these days are at the tipping point where they're charging mid-range prices for a budget chain and it's much easier to find better and cheaper alternatives than it used to be.

 

 

[Senga]

On 10/9/2023 at 5:30 PM, JimmyTheSaint said:

We've just returned home from a weekend in London to take in the Buffalo Bills v Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game.

If you're a Bills fan.....😢😢😢

[JimmyTheSaint]

Eagles fan so was cheering for Doug Pederson and the Jaguars + the wife only knows of one player in the NFL, Trevor Lawrence.