Premier Inn Elgin

The reception staff were pleasant and apologetic, and said they'd spoken to the company about the out-of-date item my 14-year-old son bought from the vending machine. It was three months past its date, which would worry me more if he were younger and hadn't noticed. One room also had no working heating. We had five rooms while in Elgin for a karate competition. We knew from an email before the stay that evening meals weren't available because of low staffing, but then got emails asking if we'd like to upgrade to the meal deal. We hadn't expected the bar to be closed as well. When we asked, the reply was, “they won't staff the bar,” which wasn't a great attitude. Breakfast was awful on all three mornings: low stock, cold food that looked as if it had been sitting there for weeks. We'll look for another hotel next year.

The Premier Plus room was spotless and smart, with a coffee machine, fridge and lighting that we made good use of. It was well worth booking, and we'd absolutely stay again. We were on a Scottish Highlands road trip and this was our first time at this Premier Inn. The reception team made a fantastic first impression, welcoming us warmly and helping with taxi firms, places to eat and local activities. There were also paintings by a local artist on sale at reception, and we ended up buying one.

The staff were friendly and attentive, and we had a great breakfast experience even though we weren't staying at the hotel. The Unlimited Breakfast at Premier Inn Elgin was easily five stars. Everything was fresh and hot, with delicious, perfectly cooked bacon and amazing eggs. The continental bar was great too, especially the warm, tasty croissants. Highly recommend!

The staff did their best, and the car park was decent. We also know staffing problems are happening nationwide, but a complimentary breakfast might have been a fair offer. The hotel itself is quite run down and needs a lot of TLC. We booked three nights B&B for a family wedding, then got an email 24 hours before check-in saying the bar and restaurant probably wouldn't be open and only breakfast was available. After talking with other people in Elgin, including taxi drivers, we heard this had been happening randomly for a year. Had we known when booking, we'd definitely have chosen somewhere else. Premier Inn has been our choice for years, but taking bookings and only telling guests about missing services at the last minute is a shame. We wouldn't recommend the Elgin hotel.