Premier Inn Falkirk East

Good location, plenty of parking, comfortable rooms and very helpful staff. The meal deal is good value too. But the hotel is so understaffed that dinner took an hour to arrive, even though the restaurant was nearly empty. The staff were trying their best. Breakfast was decent, and there was no wait since it’s a buffet.

I came to charge my electric car at 6:30 this evening and went to the restaurant to buy a coffee. The man refused to serve me because I wasn’t “a hotel guest.” I explained I was charging my car and just wanted a drink, but he said again that they could serve hotel guests only. What an absolute load of .... I checked Premier Inns’ policies and couldn’t find anything saying I couldn’t buy a coffee. This particular site also says, “No, you generally do not need to be a hotel guest to buy a drink at the Premier Inn Falkirk East bar or associated restaurant during the day. However, Premier Inn hotels have a secure door entry system and generally only permit registered guests inside after 11 pm.” Now I’m sitting in my car while it charges for an hour. Premier Inn has lost the sale, and I’m completely flabbergasted by “that rule.”

We stayed twice within two weeks, once in the accessible wet room and once in the accessible room with a lowered bath. The wet room was much nicer, with a huge bed made from two singles pushed together, and I slept well. The lowered-bath room had a double bed, which felt a bit cosy by Premier Inn standards. Its shower curtain was far too long, so either the bathroom flooded or you ended up standing on the curtain in the bath. My one complaint about both rooms is that not everyone who needs an accessible room uses a wheelchair. Even if one guest does, they may be tall and have an able-bodied partner. When every hook and hanger is set low for wheelchair users, my clothes drag on the floor. A mix of high and low hooks and hangers would help a lot.

The rooms were great and the bed was comfy, as expected, but the building and its location could use some attention. The outside doesn’t feel very welcoming, which is a shame because the staff are fantastic. Emma is such a lovely character and a joy to meet. Thanks, Emma, you made the stay much better.