Premier Inn Ipswich South East

I didn’t feel safe by the end of this stay. After the receptionist came to my room late at night while I was on a private call with my family, insisting I might have pressed the emergency button, I checked the light and it wasn’t on. She seemed not to know which room had triggered the alarm. It felt as though she was checking whether the room was occupied, and I barricaded the door with a chair. This came after a series of problems during a pre-paid corporate stay. At around 18:00 check-in was abrupt, with no basic information about breakfast, checkout or directions to the room. The staff member asked for my passport on a domestic business trip, something I’d never experienced before. My explicit request for a room above the ground floor, which is a non-negotiable personal safety concern for me, had been ignored. When I questioned the ground floor assignment, I got excuses that didn’t make sense: first the booking agent was blamed, though I’d booked through my tried and tested corporate stay platform, and then they admitted it was an “accessible” room. Nobody tried to fix the request. Shortly after I settled in, the same staff member knocked and insisted I owed a balance. I explained the room was prepaid by my company, but she kept arguing, making for an embarrassing and very unprofessional confrontation. A few minutes later she returned and admitted the mistake, confirming it had been paid, which I appreciated. As a woman travelling alone for work, I feel the service fell short. The ignored room request, intrusive check-in, embarrassing payment confrontation and late night visit made a business trip unnecessarily stressful. I’ve had two seamless Premier Inn stays already this week, so this poor, unprofessional experience and disappointing standard of service was a real shock. It’s badly affected my willingness to book this location or chain again.

I’ve stayed here several times for work and the service has been fantastic on every visit. Even when I book at short notice or arrive late at night, the staff are welcoming and accommodating. It’s conveniently located, too.

The heating made a fair bit of noise, with random bangs that woke me a couple of times. I switched it off and slept well after that, though the room was cold when I got up. This wasn’t the best Premier Inn I’ve stayed in.

Had a great time. After the Christmas rush, I just need some time out. Breakfast was 10/10, and I much prefer it cooked to order than the usual buffet.