Premier Inn Glasgow City - George Square

We paid extra for an upgraded room for two nights, but it was much smaller than the standard room my friend and I had here in October, which also had more to look at. The upgraded room did have a nice bathroom and view, plus a fridge, but the heating was awful. We woke up freezing even with it set to the highest level all night. The toilet paper holder looked badly patched over a hole, with white plaster everywhere, which seemed especially poor in a room we'd paid more for. The worst part happened around 1am, after a long day out for a concert, food and other plans. I was showering and had music on the TV at volume 23. It sounded loud while sitting right beside the tiny TV, but I could barely hear it in the bathroom. As I finished a 15-20 minute shower and started dressing, someone banged on the door. My friend answered and two tall security men said they needed to check the room because they thought we were having a party. She asked them to give us five minutes so I could get dressed, but they pushed past her and came in while I was unclothed. I was genuinely terrified and rushed to get ready as they searched the bed and curtains, threatening to kick us out around 1:30am. We're 18 and 19. They could have simply asked us to turn the music down, and we'd have done it. There are security cameras everywhere, so they could have checked those and handled it respectfully. I also can't understand why our neighbours went all the way down to security and back instead of knocking on the door one along and asking us to lower it. We would have apologised. We were on the sixth floor, and for an hour or two afterwards the same men kept walking past our door, apparently listening in, about every minute. It was extremely uncomfortable, and I won't come back. I wouldn't recommend this place: the food is overpriced, the staff were rude, and the rooms were mouldy. Atrocious and not worth the money.

The second room was better, but the heating was dreadfully outdated, the windows wouldn't open, and the bathroom fan switch was hard to find. After showers, condensation covered the room and the mirror took ages to clear. There were only a few toilet rolls for two people over two days, and housekeeping didn't come during our short stay. Breakfast was chaotic too, with food refilled too slowly to enjoy the full breakfast. It seemed they were short-staffed. Our first room, 229, smelled overwhelmingly damp and mouldy as soon as we opened the door. The bed wasn't made properly, the duvet cover was crooked, the linen felt damp, and the window sill was soaked with condensation and black mould. The key card hadn't worked either, so after self check-in we had to go back to reception, where we were told that sometimes happened. We immediately complained and asked to move. The receptionist said the damp problem was ongoing and head office knew about it, but was still letting the rooms out. She wasn't sure there was another room available, but gave me another set of key cards. We paid £15 for early check-in, which felt like a joke and a con. If a room is ready and free, people should be allowed in early. I'll complain to head office. I won't stay there again, and this has put me off booking Premier Inn in future. If I could have, I wouldn't have given even one star.

The staff were professional, kind and helpful, and the lobby had plenty of space to sit for a drink or meal. Breakfast was a generous buffet that was topped up regularly, with gluten-free choices too. My room was clean and comfortable, and for the price this was a really good hotel. It's well placed for getting around, just minutes from Queen Street station and George Square, two minutes from the subway and on a major bus route. Highly recommend.

The location was the only real plus, as it's not far from the Barrowlands. Our room and the corridor were freezing, and we were on what seemed to be a basement floor. The pillows were hard, including the spare ones described as soft. I won't stay here again.