Premier Inn Newcastle - Team Valley

We were on the fifth floor and had to use the stairs because the hotel's only lift was out of order. Reception confirmed there was just one lift, despite the vague booking notice saying at least one was unavailable and there might be delays. I'd have been fine with a wait for a busy lift, but there was no working one at all. That's a lot of flights to climb. I felt bad for guests on the top floor, which I think was the eighth. The hotel was full, and plenty of people were disappointed and unhappy. Poor show, Premier Inn. Nothing felt particularly Premier, especially the lift.

The room and food were lovely, but my dealings with three reception staff during a stay last year were awful. I tried to pay with vouchers and was told they couldn't take them because nobody there knew how to process them, so I was charged £80. When I questioned why vouchers were advertised if they couldn't handle them, I was spoken to rudely, cut off, and left feeling dismissed. It was unfair and upsetting, so I called Premier Inn to complain. After Premier Inn contacted the hotel, the explanation changed to say they didn't accept the particular vouchers, even though both they and the voucher company advertised Premier Inn as a participating retailer. Premier Inn seemed to want to brush it aside. I kept pushing and eventually got my refund. I'm sure not every staff member is like that, but those three were awful.

The staff were polite and helpful, and the hot water worked fine, even in the freezing bathroom. But the heating barely does anything and switches off completely quite early in the evening, so it was absolutely freezing. We raised this last year, and next winter we'll look elsewhere.

Parking can be a worry at a lot of hotels, but there was plenty here. I spent the weekend with my son; the staff were friendly, our room was nice, and we enjoyed the breakfast too.