Premier Inn Preston East hotel — Hotel in Preston

My Girlfriend and I stayed at this Premier inn on bluebell way on NYE 2021/2022 as we had a table booked for 20:00 at slug and lettuce so needed somewhere we anticipated would serve simply as a roof over our heads for the night, we checked in at approx 18:00, having never really visited Preston prior we were warmly greeted by Jane and the phrase “nothing was too much trouble” is an understatement with Jane’s attitude, nothing was ANY trouble, let alone too much trouble. We were greeted very pleasantly. “We have a room booked under Bingham” “Miss Bingham, it’s lovely to have you both here, thank you for choosing us on NYE [inserts her first name here] is it?, beautiful name” We asked how long in advance we would need to book a taxi into town and if we could have a taxi number, we were directed to a freephone in the lobby direct to a taxi firm where we’d booked a cab into town for 19:45. I asked where a couple of other bits could be found such as somewhere to find hair bobbles and a cash machine. “There is a Spar less than 5 minutes walk just up the way and there is a cash machine right next to the Slug and Lettuce, this taxi firm do take card as well but I can’t be sure that the taxi firm bringing you back will. Jane asked us if we’d like to book a table for breakfast however as we were out on the sauce we didn’t know if we’d be up for breakfast and asked if we could decide in the morning and just rock up? “Of course, no problem at all” As we were getting ready, the clock ticked over to 19:30 when we received a phone call from Jane on reception to inform us that the taxi had arrived. We begin to panic and were sure we’d said 19:45 - Jane confirmed we did indeed and stalled the taxi driver for 15 minutes so we could continue getting ready. We had an amazing time in Preston it was our first New Years together and it was personally my first New Years away from home and this wonderful receptionist made everything so much more relaxing and stress free. The room was clean and tidy, shower nice and refreshing and had a great nights sleep! The following morning my girlfriend and I headed down for breakfast, myself feeling rough as toast where we were greeted by Jane once more. To our surprise she had remembered not only that it was our first New Years together, but our first time venturing in to Preston itself rather than passing through. She had also remembered that we were at the Slug and Lettuce and asked how our evening was. She then escorted us in to the restaurant where we were greeted by a bloke called Steve I believe his name was, the restaurant manager, who explained that although breakfast booking is preferred and usually they can’t accommodate folk turning up un booked he would try to accommodate us, found us a table and was very cheery and helpful throughout, while also poking fun at how obviously hungover I was which was charming and fun! I don’t normally write reviews for people doing what they’re paid to do, but these two individuals went over and above their remit to offer the best possible service to a young couple who had booked last minute with very little local knowledge and made the whole experience an absolute breeze. If this review does find its way back to these two, happy new year and thank you from the bottom...

It's a shame how this brand has caught the British disease of falling standards and rising prices. The rooms are comfortable enough although tired. There was also a damp smell in the bathroom and stair wells. There is something happening to this brand and it's not good. It feels like it's in a race to the bottom and based on my recent stays, it's winning.

Our 1st night.

There was no food available even for those who had purchased meal deals because of  technical issues with the card machines. The staff did not quite know what to do and could not give any indication when the technical issues would be fixed or even if they could be fixed.  They were eventually fixed but we had made alternative plans rather than wait.

We headed to the nearby pub, The Anderton Arms (£3.50 to £4 with Uber), which was very good and the food was good value and of a better quality versus the normal Beefeater offering. It also has a fine selection of real ales and the Football was on.

The bar at the restaurant was also closed until the technical issues were fixed. When it eventually opened it ran out of all white wine except Chardonnay. Half the beers on offer were also not available. No one cleared the tables until the end of the evening which were covered with empty glasses and takeaway boxes. Never experienced this before with Premier Inn.

It is worth noting the Bar and Restaurant are no longer a Beefeater although the signage, food and the decor are the same. So no points can be earned or spent. This is quite a  cynical move by Whitbread as  you are left with the over priced and at best poor quality pub grub. I will not use these types of Premier Inns going forward. However, there are many alternatives for food outlets close by I would suggest you try them.

Throughout our stay the staff were friendly enough but clearly they did not have the authority to act to make what was an awful situation better. They could have offered everyone a free drink whilst we waited for issues to be fixed for example. The problems were not the fault of the staff and they were doing what they thought was right but it wasn't good. I felt sorry for them.

Breakfast was good, cooked to order, except for one staff member wanting to clear plates from your table whilst you are still eating. This is an absolute no no and demonstrates little or no hospitality training / experience.

Our 2nd night

No dramas on our second night. We ate elsewhere. The bar will not be restocked until Thursday so good luck if your visiting this week.

The only positives so far are the staff, the breakfast, large free car park and...

I know they say you get what you pay for, and Premier Inn is supposed to be budget and convenience above other things, but I don't even feel I got what I paid for here. The one good point I have is that the room was clean. As for the bad, someone deserves prison time for the food and drink coming out of that restaurant. I had gotten in early evening exhausted following a 5 hour drive and there was only one other table occupied in the restaurant, and yet for some reason the wait times were surprisingly high for food and drink. What arrived was not worth waiting for. The Piña colada was undrinkable, served in a half full glass (nowhere close to resembling the picture on their posters, so I don't know where the other half of the drink went) which was clearly dirty as the white coloured drink had black grit floating in it. One sip was enough to decide it was going to be immediately abandoned. The wait for food was then very extended and what arrived was not enjoyable at all. I was starving after my journey and managed to eat around half out of necessity before abandoning the entire meal and shelling out over £20 for the experience on the way out the door. I found the restaurant staff to be pretty blunt and not friendly. Later in the evening I thought I'd get something from the vending machine in reception, but it ate my money and eliminated the credit when I tried to get it back, so I ended up with nothing and short more money. I did not risk coming back to the restaurant for breakfast after that and instead drove to the Starbucks 3 minutes down the road which is what I recommend any other visitors do too. The bed was uncomfortable and the rooms are not remotely soundproofed, so any noise from the corridor comes straight in. What's worse however is the fact that the noise of the M6 outside seems to be somehow amplified and would make sleep very difficult for anyone noise sensitive. I've lived in the centre of a city for multiple years and even I thought this was loud by comparison. I've never had a problem with a Premier Inn, Travelodge, or any other budget hotel for a night before, but this one is just bad,...