Premier Inn Bedford - Priory Marina

The room was clean and comfortable, the bed very comfortable, parking was easy, and the food at the Beefeater next door was very good. But the customer service at reception left a bad impression. We arrived around 1:40pm. The receptionist said we'd have to pay £15 to check in before 3pm and suggested spending it at the Beefeater while we waited. Nobody mentioned the £27 deal for a meal, a drink, and breakfast. My husband only learned about it after he'd eaten and reached the room. I wasn't with him then, as I was meeting other people elsewhere. I'd booked the stay, so he didn't know about the deal, and there was no sign for it in reception. He'd gone to the restaurant before checking in, and the receptionist knew that. When I got back that afternoon, we explained he should have been able to use the offer since I'd booked breakfast for us both the next morning. She said she was only there to check people in. That shocked me. I work in that exact role for a major UK holiday provider and take pride in listening to guests' concerns and resolving them quickly and empathetically. After reception didn't help, we spoke to the restaurant. They eventually agreed to give us a complimentary breakfast the next morning as an apology. Back at reception, the team member said we should have booked the £27 offer online. That wasn't possible, because only my husband planned to eat at the restaurant that afternoon, while both of us wanted breakfast. She seemed unhelpful and disinterested. Better information and staff trained in service recovery could have prevented this. A simple adjustment to the bill would have resolved it and left us with a completely different impression.