Premier Inn Aviemore

We chose Premier Inn before because, even with basic decor, it’s usually clean for the price. This Aviemore stay was a real letdown, and I’d steer anyone who cares about cleanliness away. The first room was awful: dusty lampshades and walls, cobwebs on the ceiling, mouldy grout, a dried orange liquid on the bathroom tiles, and rust on the soap holder that had spread to the bottle and turned into gunk. Paint was peeling from the bathroom ceiling, there were scratches and missing chunks of paint on the walls, and lint on the floor suggested little or no hoovering. Kallum at reception was helpful when we asked to change rooms, and our dealings with the front-of-house staff were pleasant. The replacement was much better, but still below the standard we expect. The drains smelled, the grout was mouldy, there was dust on the lamps and bedside tables, and dirt remained in the sink. We stayed in it and cleaned what we could ourselves. One afternoon we came back to find a ceiling panel moved, exposing the air conditioning unit. Nobody had told us anyone would enter our room. Reception said a contractor had inspected the air conditioning, finished the job, then forgotten to put the panel back. Not knowing someone would be coming in was the main concern, since we couldn’t choose whether to move valuables first.

Callum at reception sorted out an early breakfast for us before 7AM so we could get to our event, which we really appreciated. The room was clean, the area was quiet and lovely, and everyone we spoke with was kind. We had a great overnight stay.

The entrance and hotel itself were as expected, and the location is handy, though there’s road noise. After that, it was disappointing: the room wasn’t particularly clean, smelled strongly of damp, and had deep holes in the carpet. The beds felt nearly collapsed. The car validation tablet was temperamental, with no other way to validate. Glad we only needed the room for one night.

Premier Inn is good value and bike friendly, and the location is excellent. We’d booked the meal deal some time ago, but the dinner menu was a reduced Premier Inn menu that frankly wasn’t worth considering. We arranged a refund and just had breakfast, which was fine.