Premiere Classe Laon

The only genuinely nice part was the woman at check-in. The rate was lower than other places, but still felt expensive for what we got. Our room was tiny and gloomy, with barely any room for luggage or for three people to move around. The bathroom was cramped and smelled musty, though I couldn't see any mould. We had to keep the curtain shut because the only window, beside the door, could be looked into by anyone standing outside. The third bed was a bunk, not very clean, and its blanket had holes; the other two beds were okay. It reminded me of a cabin on a ferry, except every budget cabin I've stayed in was in much better shape. We'd booked it after the campsite we planned to use was full, since we didn't want to sleep in the car. If you're travelling alone and need the cheapest bed near the motorway, it might do. I wouldn't stay at a Premiere Classe 'hotel' again. I wish I'd known it was basically self-storage units fitted with beds and a bathroom. Calling it 'Premiere classe' is ridiculous.

There was an open knife under one of the bed covers, and the sheets had black holes from cigarette ends. The whole room stank, so it clearly hadn't been checked and cleaned. Breakfast was half a pain au chocolat, and the shower was tiny. Shocking.

By the time I noticed the burn mark and several dark hairs inside my sheets, reception had shut and nobody was there. I'm blonde and hadn't even gone near the bed before I found them, so I slept fully dressed on top of the covers, disgusted that the sheets might not have been washed properly. I'd already had to switch rooms once because of the awful smell. The rooms nearly always have stale cigarette smoke mixed with a faint toilet-drain smell, and burn holes on the outer bed cover are common too. My company keeps booking this terrible budget motel chain for my work trips abroad. Stay away from this place, and any other Premiere classe hotel. The name DOES NOT match the room quality.

We had two rooms for six of us, and there wasn't much space for the family to gather in them. They let us use the dining area and have our own drinks, though 😃. Reception staff were friendly. Buffalo Grill is just across the road. Fine for an overnight stop on the way to the Alps.