Premier Inn Weymouth Seafront

The place was filthy and badly run down. The entrance windows and door looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in a year, the carpets seemed not to have been vacuumed in ages, and the banisters were black with ingrained dirt and sticky. Our bedding was torn and didn't fit the beds. The so-called king-size bed was just two singles pushed together. There was mold in the bathroom, on the net curtains and on the windows, and something had spilled on our room wall. When I raised it with customer relations, they said I should have told the desk so they could fix it. The hotel would need to close for at least a week to sort this out. Disgusting place, useless customer service.

The staff were friendly, and the rooms were what you'd expect from a Premier Inn. The hotel is right on the seafront, so you can walk along and enjoy the views on the way into town. The car park looked full at first, but there is more space around the back. The attached restaurant and pub served good food. There was very little for vegetarians on our first night, though they were waiting for a delivery and there were more options over the following days.

Weymouth has so few hotel options that I guess my company picked this one with its eyes shut and a dartboard. My stay began with a £20 charge for checking in before 3:00 pm. It was only 2:30, and housekeeping were sitting chatting in reception because, apparently, the rooms were already ready. Letting me in half an hour early must have been impossible, so I paid £6 for a pint at the bar to pass the time. At 3:00 sharp I came back to a queue of ten other guests, all of us checking in together after refusing the half-hour ransom. Great system. The room was better than expected, clean, and had a Nespresso machine and fridge. The shower pressure was so weak it felt like trying to pass kidney stones, and the sink might have rinsed me faster. At least parking is free, so driving here to suffer doesn't cost extra. Sadly, I'll be back soon for company bookings. Fingers crossed things improve, though I suspect only the price of that pint will go up.

The room had everything we needed, including a fridge, plenty of teabags and coffee, and the bed was very comfortable. We got the ground floor room we'd requested, which mattered as there's no lift to the second floor. Parking right outside was easy and adequate, and breakfast at the Brewyers Fayre was very close, literally a minute across the car park. The staff were friendly and helpful. The two downsides were how loudly we could hear the people walking around in the room above, and the toilet paper, the thinnest and cheapest we've ever had the misfortune to be given.