Premier Inn London Croydon - Purley A23

We barely slept. The room stayed unbearably hot, with the thermostat reading 30.5°C all night. There was a standing fan, but it didn't move any cool air, and my husband even thought about sleeping in the car. This Premier Inn might be all right in cooler weather, but I wouldn't recommend it in summer unless the cooling is improved. This is now our third bad night's sleep at a Premier Inn. Their “good night's sleep guarantee” hasn't matched what we've experienced. They really need to address the lack of effective room cooling and invest in air conditioning.

The staff were excellent, friendly, helpful and funny, and the stay beat our expectations. Breakfast was good, parking was free, and the beds were large and comfortable. The TV was large and the shower decent, too. A few parts of the room looked worn, including torn padding on the bedhead, but it was still good value. We'll stay again when we're in the area.

The location was pretty good, but the night itself was genuinely uncomfortable. The room was very hot and humid, the windows barely opened, and the bathroom extractor didn't work. I ended up stripping the bed because the duvet was far too thick for the temperature. The fan was fixed to the wall, so I couldn't move it closer. The hallways felt bleak and dark, and mine smelled strongly of weed. The service desk staff didn't speak English very well. That's about all I can say in the hotel's favour.

The staff we met, one or two people, were really nice, but the poor sound insulation spoiled the stay. One night I could easily hear the TV in the room next door. The following night someone upstairs kept banging and walking around, with the ceiling creaking above my head. It felt like being in a paper box. A hotel should be built well enough that guests don't have to deal with this. London is already horribly busy, even busier than Mumbai now, so there's hardly any peace outside either. I won't be coming back.