Premier Inn Manchester Airport Heald Green

For an overnight stop before travelling on, it was good value and we slept well. Check-in and check-out were quick and easy, and the staff were very friendly. The mattresses may be award winning, but I’m still not keen on the pillows. We’d stayed before and would happily come again. This time we skipped the attached restaurant. On our last visit it had become Premier Inn owned, and the staff, service and food were diabolical. It was empty when we arrived this year, so it seems we weren’t the only ones with a bad impression.

Breakfast was a highlight: you choose hot food and it’s cooked to order, much better than the usual Premier Inn buffet we’ve had elsewhere. Dinner was good too. We used the £26.99 meal deal, and the battered cod was superb. Sam and Charlotte served us, and Sam, the charming bar manager, also kept my bag safe after I accidentally left it behind. We were wary after reading reviews, but our three-night stay was lovely. The train station is literally a two-minute walk from reception, and the helpful, friendly lady checked us in. Our ground-floor twin room was clean and had everything we needed. For the airport, it’s five minutes by train, costing £3.80 for two, or £2.50 with a railcard. We’ll use this hotel again instead of those on Runger Lane.

Breakfast was an odd setup. It wasn’t a buffet, so we had to order and wait 50 minutes because just one staff member was greeting people, seating them, serving, restocking, cleaning and running to the kitchen. It was chaotic and no good when you’re on a schedule. The building felt dated and run down as soon as we drove up. Corridors looked like a hostel, with dirty carpets and walls. Our room had no air con or heating, just a small wall heater that made a blue spark whenever it clicked on and off during the night. The bathroom was dated, dirty and smelled of urine, and the dusty carpets hadn’t been vacuumed. Low planes coming into Manchester woke me repeatedly, and the room had no soundproofing. Breakfast was, well, interesting. I’d never stay here again. Avoid it, there are much better hotels nearby.

The bathroom was grim, with black mould all around the bath and something stuck to the bottom of it. The room was dusty and didn’t feel clean. I kept my socks on until bed because stuff was sticking to their soles. The whole place was noisy and needs a drastic overhaul. I can only hope the kitchen is clean, as I didn’t try breakfast.