Premier Inn Inverness West

The room was clean, with a comfortable bed and a hot shower, and the car park was a good size. It’s a bit out of town, with nowhere close to walk to. I was there for four nights on a work trip, and the heat at night was hard to deal with: the air conditioning wouldn’t go below 19°, and the window couldn’t be opened at all, even a crack. I understand I was on the third floor, but opening it slightly would have helped. The restaurant was in the middle of changing over from the closed Beefeater. We were told to book ahead, and despite it looking almost empty at 6pm, the first table they offered was at 8pm. It seemed there was just one chef and two waiting staff. When I explained we had to be up for work at 4am, the manager found a table for two. The food was decent. Breakfast was OK too, with a good choice, though the eggs had been out long enough to get a bit hard. We came down near the end of breakfast, so that may have been why.

The rooms were clean and a good size, pretty much what you expect from a Premier Inn. But checking in meant using the self-service machine, and nobody told us about the restaurant arrangements. The booking site said it was open, but we were then told we needed to have booked a meal deal in advance. We didn’t want breakfast, unlimited or otherwise, and it seemed ridiculous to have to pay for a meal we wouldn’t eat. We just wanted to buy dinner. The hotel itself was lovely.

The location is a little outside town, but that wasn’t the main problem for me. The entrance had cigarette ends scattered around, and the hotel looked tired. Inside, there was paper on the restaurant floor and several obvious carpet stains. The public areas felt poorly cleaned, and the place seemed neglected compared with the upkeep I expect from Premier Inn. Some renovation and more care with housekeeping would make a difference. This visit fell short.

For what I paid, the room was adequate, and much cheaper than the more central places I considered. It was a standard Premier Inn room, but there was no hand towel and the bathroom hadn’t been replenished with toilet paper. I might stay again if the price was right.