My wife – a ‘murrican citizen – travels back to the US for one month every year to visit family. During this time I typically go on a UK road trip visiting friends. September of 2024 was no different.
My trips take some planning to ensure accessibility and, I have to say, Premier Inn has always delivered the goods up until last year. Well, with the exception that none of their accessible rooms are available in Premier Plus. ‘Plus’ adds more comfortable furniture and a fridge – a great way of saving money when on the road for ten days. I use a walking stick and have found the Plus rooms to be okay for me. However, it is a bigger chance to take when traveling with my wife, because she uses a power chair, and that takes up space in the room.
The last two nights of my trip (14/15 September) saw me at the Premier Inn Castleford (Xscape, M62 J32) hotel, SE of Leeds. On my arrival, I find the only entrance I can see is a powered i.e. constantly-turning, revolving door. No problem for the able-bodied. But what about those of with mobility issues? What if my wheelchair-using wife had been with me? I should have realized this was just the first obstacle.
My room, at least at first glance, seemed to be what I expected i.e. better than the standard room in every way, plus there was a fridge. Things started to get worse – much worse – on closer inspection. There were greasy hand prints in several places on the walls and curtains. Old and dodgy looking stains on the carpet. The fridge door was hanging off its hinges and the door shelves were entirely missing. There were various small holes in the walls where things may have been forcibly pulled out.
I had already driven 400 miles that day, or I would have left there and then. But home was a four hour drive away and I was exhausted. I stayed one night out of the two I had paid for and left early on the Sunday morning. I would have complained at reception as I left but, as throughout my time there, I couldn’t find any staff – they left it to the automated systems to deal with guests.
My weekend was saved by a very pleasant lunch with friends in York (and equally lovely memories of lunch on Saturday with a years-long Interwebz friend whom I had never met before), before what turned out to be a seven hour drive home because apparently the Googlies Nav didn’t know about thousands of cars leaving the Duxford air show that afternoon.
I was too angry to complain to Premier Inn once I got home. In fact, I forgot to complain at all until I started writing this. Guess what? Their complaints system can only handle events up to three months old and so mine has timed out. I used to stay with PI for 10-14 nights a year. NEVER AGAIN.
