Premier Inn Gravesend Central

We stayed for three nights from Christmas Day and bitterly regret it. We'd been here a few years earlier, so I didn't check the reviews, but the place has changed a lot. The derelict pub and carvery out front were off-putting, and after a four-hour drive on Christmas Day, all we wanted was bed. We'd paid for a Premier Plus room for the extra comfort, Wi-Fi and facilities. Instead it was so cold we needed coats and gloves in bed. Reception told us the heating in all the Plus rooms had been broken for weeks, lent us a portable heater and promised it would warm up. It didn't. The shower didn't work either. We asked to move, although moving rooms was the last thing we wanted while exhausted. The issue affected all the Plus rooms, so we were put in a standard room at the same price. Reception couldn't refund the difference, and central office was closed for Christmas. The standard room had awful pillows that gave me neckache, badly sized sheets and mattress covers, a bathroom that smelled of urine, and a shower like a dripping tap. We'd had enough, so we didn't report those problems and just got through the stay, planning not to return. We regularly stay at Premier Inns and know what to expect. I can't understand charging people for a room without heating or a working shower. We were lucky there was another room available, otherwise we'd have been scrambling to find somewhere on Christmas night. I'm giving two stars because the reception staff, especially the woman working Christmas night, were caring and clearly embarrassed and stressed about letting rooms like this. They offered free breakfasts, which didn't suit our dietary requirements, and free Wi-Fi, which should have come with the Plus room. Now I suppose we'll have to chase central office for at least the price difference.