Premier Inn Edinburgh A7 - Dalkeith

I booked dinner, bed and breakfast for a one-night business stay. The room itself was clean and comfortable, with air conditioning, a TV and a fridge stocked with bottled water. That was the good part. I ended the stay violently sick with diarrhoea and stomach pain, and can only conclude it was from the dodgy burger I’d eaten the night before. I was ill all day and evening, and won’t be back. I’m disappointed Premier Inn has sunk this low. Dinner was poor. The menu had little choice, there was no draught beer, and the bottled beer was overpriced. The room was cold, and a guest couldn’t get salt out of a damp shaker. When I asked to have the wall heater turned on, the boy behind the bar, who also worked reception, said it didn’t work. There was no cheese for my burger or lemon for my gin and tonic. It arrived on a cold plate; the frozen chips were overcooked and cold. When I asked whether the burger was well done as ordered, he said, “I don’t know,” then walked off. I didn’t get the impression a chef had cooked the food. Breakfast was barely passable. The bacon was very fatty and the sausages poor quality, though the eggs were good. It was advertised as a full cooked breakfast with a continental option, but there was no ham, cheese or boiled eggs, little fresh fruit, and the bananas were soft and overripe. When I asked about the coffee machine, the waitress pointed out coffee sachets. I mentioned the machine behind the bar, but she walked away muttering that she was on her own. She seemed agitated and somewhat aggressive, then reluctantly took my order and brought the coffee over.

The reception staff were friendly, but that was about the only good part. I usually choose Premier Inn because I know what to expect, and we’d booked a Premier Plus room plus unlimited breakfast for £10.99. Instead, there was a dirty housekeeping microfiber cloth on the floor and leftover indigestion tablets by the bed. The “ultimate” WiFi was very poor too. The restaurant was a big letdown, with very limited bar supplies. Dinner was OK, but breakfast was appalling. The unlimited breakfast wasn’t a buffet as you might expect: you had to order hot food within 30 seconds of arriving, and that was all you got unless you ordered again and waited. The food was a mix of cold, undercooked and overcooked. Throughout that awful breakfast, the front-of-house waitress was loudly using her phone on speaker. Totally unprofessional.

We were packing for our trip back to Australia after spending an extended time in the UK, and had quite a bit to organise during our two-night stay. Ang, Donna, Natalie and the other staff helped us in all sorts of ways. Their positive attitude and solutions to several challenges meant a lot to us, and we really appreciated the terrific service. Thanks again. Scotty & Katy. Hope the books, gumboots etc prove useful!

The location worked really well for me while I was working in Bilston Glen. Staff were friendly, the food selection was good, and the rooms were good quality, just what I’d expect from Premier Inn.