Premier Inn Waltham Abbey hotel — Hotel in Epping Forest

My worst ever hotel experience, with clear lack of management and trained staff

THE WORST WELCOME

• On arrival guests were made to wait in a long queue stretching out of the reception to the car park; for 45 minutes to get checked in. • While waiting, it was evident that the reception area facilities were substandard: empty vending machines, non-functioning TVs, empty information leaflet racks, etc. • On getting to the front of the line, there were two Premier Inn staff on the front desk. One slowly working through the customers, the other ignoring them; engaged in a different task on her computer. • Only when asked ‘Don’t you want to help these waiting customers too?’ the non attentive staff member, then decided it was a good idea to try to reduce the ever increasing queue. • On check in it transpired that the rooms we had booked and paid for in advance had been allocated incorrectly. Neither of our two rooms had been set up for a family with children (as we had requested in advance).

UNTRAINED STAFF

• The front desk were then unable to change the room allocation on their system, as they had not been trained for that situation. This technical adjustment prevent them from issuing us with our room keys. • The staff tried to adjust the booking, but concluded they needed a duty manager to come in to help them before they could give us our room key. Rather than keeping us waiting longer (and other people behind us), we agreed to return in an hour.

ANGRY MANAGER

• On our return to reception, the duty manager (Jody), immediately started shouting at us; angry that she had been called in to sort out their room re-allocation issue! • Only when I calmly asked her to speak more respectfully to her paying guests and consider that it was us that had been put out rather than her; she back-tracked and set to work on the computer to issue the room key.

THE WARM, BUG INFESTED ROOM

• The bedroom itself was hot, with no way to cool it down. • There were also infestations of flies and insects across the window sill; but at that point we just needed to get changed and go out. • On leaving, we asked if they would make the child’s bed while we were out and the staff on the front promised they would.

BROKEN PROMISES & NO BEDDING

• On our return late at night, the child’s bed had not been made. • We returned to reception to request bedding; but after a quick look were told there was none! • We had to insist on the need to provide bedding for the child’s bed. After more searching, the front desk staff returned with just two basic sheets. No duvet or pillow (claiming the hotel did not have any!). • We then had to make the child’s bed ourselves, with what we had available.

20 MINUTES OF 05.30AM DEAFENING FIRE ALARM

• At 05.30am, the fire alarm went off at full volume across the entire hotel. It did not stop and was continually sounding for 20 long, painful minutes! • Every resident at the hotel got out of their beds, some in pyjamas, half dressed in underwear – all looking dazed and confused. Some guests grouped together in corridors, others congregated in the car park. • When approached, the front of house staff confirmed it was a false alarm but did not know how to switch it off herself. She had to contact a call centre; and was waiting on hold to them. • After 20 minutes of full volume sirens blasting through every room; it turned out it was caused by untrained kitchen staff not knowing how to ventilate their breakfast preparation properly that caused the alarm to sound.

BUSINESS AS USUAL!?

• In the morning, the only acknowledgement was from the guests chatting at breakfast, sharing their experiences of their dissatisfaction. • There was no apology from the staff. No offer of free breakfasts to everyone or anything. Maybe it happens there so frequently, the staff think nothing of it!?

This experience has shown how low a brand can sink when it suffers from a lack of effective regional management and inadequate...

Check in efficient.|Room was well equipped and clean, smelled a bit damp.|Following morning breakfast which was 10.99. was quite disgraceful. Arrived at 9.30 to find no meat products or hash browns available beans, tomatoes only. We ended up having a staggered breakfast. One slice of bacon with a hash brown. Later on a sausage on its own. I don't eat eggs but my husband's was overcooked. It's was extremely busy and they were totally understaffed. I want to make it clear that one lady seemed to be working very hard to refill in the restaurant, non stop whilst others seemed to be wandering around not knowing what to do and not really working at any pace. The chef focused on tomatoes and mushrooms and seemingly no meat. He was on his own with two ovens and a packed restaurant. He also checked his phone and then handled tomatoes without gloves or washing his hands so hygienewise not great, but he was also alone and perhaps needed another person to help.||After breakfast our card key failed to allow us access to the corridor where our room was. We spoke to reception and then tried again, still no access another couple came up, their card didn't work either. I went to the lady on reception, she opened the door with her card and a smug flourish as if we'd been doing it all wrong, then disappeared. Following this our card didn't allow access to our room, luckily reception lady was there to help us gain access and tell us it was our fault because the card had been by a mobile phone. It hadn't. No apology for all the hanging about and inefficient equipment.|All in all an expensive hotel stay that was not value for money. Premier Inn need to up their game and employ more staff who can provide better customer service and food if they are going to charge...

I stop here all week most weeks as I work away from home.... Premier Inn Waltham Abbey is one of the better ones to stay in, although the cleaners ARE noisy in the mornings, & when you've been out working at night, (and have placed the 'shhhh night worker sleeping' sign on the door) if your a fairly light sleeper like me, they are noisy enough to wake you after only a few hours sleep, (more consideration needed)

Hotel is in a nice area, staff are very friendly and helpful, & the Bakers Arms is just across the car park, has just been face lifted (although I can't see any difference, so must be behind the scenes) the food is ok, but I'm a Chef so maybe slightly picky, beer is expensive, especially for bottles (small bottle 1.79 in Tesco/£3.50 in Bakers) expensive anywhere for a small bottle of beer. Car park is large but can get a bit packed sometimes, I've spotted people just kipping in cars & Lorries, which park across several bays at once, so that's only down to the hotel/pub in the fact they don't police the car park as it were. UPDATE: so I'm writing this as for about the 20th time this year I've had to walk through a cloud of marijuana just to get to my car. Having stopped here most of the time in the last three years nearly, I've noticed one major drawback which is the proliferation of drug users both stopping here & just parking up in the car park. I have stopped in lots of Premier Inns, but unfortunately this one is let down by way more than any other by this problem. I and several colleagues have complained about the stink of marijuana in the corridors and about people just sat in the car park or indeed just stood outside the front doors smoking it, which if you complain IS dealt with, but I get the feeling it's only if...