I tried the brand new Premier Inn rooms – with a funky new bathroom addition and much better sleep
IT’S a well known fact that I love a Premier Inn hotel.
I’ve been lucky enough to stay at some fantastic hotels around the world.
And while some of them are no contest, there is something about a Premier Inn that I love as a budget option.
And the hotel chain has a brand new style of room launching across the UK – so I decided to check it out.
Called the Next Evolution rooms, I headed to the Angel hotel in London to take a look for myself.
Sarah Simpson, Head of Product & Proposition at Whitbread, said the new designs were to allow more “flexibility and personalisation” for guests.
Some of the new additions are a stretch at best – including “floor length curtains” – although they definitely hid enough of the light to make the room pitch black at night so got some of the best sleep I’d had in a while.
But I was impressed by the decor, which is definitely a modern take on the hotel’s iconic purple.
This included tasteful art on the walls, a huge purple bed headboard as well as purple clothes hangers and even a purple hairdryer.
The room has been divided into ‘zones’ according to the hotel chain – work, sleep and getting ready.
I especially appreciated the addition of a table you can move, rather than the desks that are usually attached to the wall in the corner of the room.
And one thing I dread at hotels are the bathrooms, which can easily be small and rather grotty.
But the new bathrooms are what won me over.
The huge walk in showers were a highlight, with no grim shower curtains or tatty bath to step into.
Each room has Bayliss & Harding toiletries, rather than some unknown, cheap brand that can often be found in rooms.
And one small element I loved was the lighting, with a choice of the main light or just a purple underlight that made me feel like I was in a trendy club toilet (in a good way).
Obviously they have all of the other perks you can find in the Premier Plus rooms already in most hotel rooms, such as offee machines, mini fridges and USB ports.
And you can of course buy the pillows and bedding for your own house.
In case you had any doubt of how much of a fan I was – you’ll find the pillows in my own bedroom at home.
The rooms can be found at 32 hotels around the UK, including a number of airports.
This is set to be rolled out more in the future, with there being more than 850 Premier Inns across the country.
By February 2025, around 11,000 of the rooms are to be introduced across 100 hotels in the UK.
My verdict? While they aren’t the biggest game-changer when it comes to a Premier Inn room, they are a nice upgrade if you are staying for more than a few days.
How to get a better Premier Inn room
Former Premier Inn staff revealed some of their top hacks on the Channel 5 programme Premier Inn: Britain’s Biggest Budget Hotel.
Ryan James, former Premier Inn operations manager, said: “[If you’d like a quieter room] ask for the top floor.
“Because normally the parties and families tend to be put on the bottom and middle floors because of the noise.”
Kofi Ofosu-Akwa, an ex-Premier Inn housekeeper, noted: “Call [the hotel] first and see what they can do for you.
“If you don’t ask you don’t get.”
I also tried the world’s biggest Premier Inn which is found in the UK and has more than 700 rooms.
We also compared Premier Inn with Travelodge and easyHotel – here’s the one which came out on top.