Premier Inn Braintree - A120

The service was among the best we’ve had, with lovely, friendly and helpful staff. We travel around the country staying at Premier Inns while working remotely and housesitting, and generally find they provide a good night’s sleep with clean, efficient facilities. Even the hairdryer worked well, which ladies will understand! This branch didn’t have the upgrades, but the people more than made up for that. There’s a Brewers Fayre right next door, and its staff were great too. We found the vegetarian choices there much better than the menus at Premier Inn’s in-house restaurants. We had a very enjoyable two days in Braintree.

The Prem Plus room suited us well and was spotlessly clean, and check-in was warm and efficient. There isn’t a bar in the hotel, but there’s a decent pub 50 metres from reception. Breakfast was cooked to order and was decent. The boiler was broken, but the front of house lady did a superb job getting tea to people and keeping everything under control.

The desk lady was welcoming, and the kids had a cracker and activity pack in the room, a lovely gesture from Premier Inn. We usually like staying with PI, and the beds here were comfy. The TV flickered while we watched it, though, and the room was much too dirty for me to overlook. There was biscuit all under the bed, dust across the headboard wall and lights, and black scum around the bath overflow plug that came off with a tissue. It should have been wiped while the bath was being cleaned. We probably wouldn’t choose this particular Premier Inn again. See pics. It works for a quick stopover, with breakfast available right next door, and the room was the usual Premier Inn type.

The staff here are easily the best of the nine Premier Inns I’ve stayed at this year. They even left little gifts in the room for our two children, which was a lovely surprise. The rooms are a little tired, but I’ll take the warmth of the staff over a brand-new room every time. Thank you for making us feel so welcome this Christmas.