Premier Inn York City - Blossom St North

This place has a prime spot near the station, the centre, pubs and restaurants, and the staff were polite and helpful. The bedding, bed and bathroom were clean, but the room in the annex, numbered in the 2000s, had mould and damp on the wall by the window. Condensation was terrible, and it was too cold to leave the windows open. The wall air conditioner wasn't working properly, though there was an electric oil radiator. The bath taps also ran black gunk for a minute or two before clearing. I told reception, who were very apologetic and sent someone to scrub the walls. The building is very old and needs work, which is a shame given the location.

The convenient location and lovely staff couldn't make up for the state of the rooms. Our first room had visible mould, cobwebs, a hair in the bath and odd stains on the wall. The bathroom extractor fan made a horrible noise. We asked to move, but the next room also had mould on the wall and dirty drinking glasses. The free Wi-Fi was unreliable too. At £152 for three nights for two guests, it was affordable, but the rooms were uncomfortable to spend time in.

We came for one night so we could visit the Christmas market. Central York was an easy 10-15 minute walk away, and parking was discounted to £15 a night, which I don't think is terrible in the current climate. The room was comfortable and had everything we needed for the evening. A comfortable stay overall!

It's a great spot, just a few metres from the train station, but my room was in another building and took quite a few stairs to reach. Breakfast was reasonable, though there wasn't any cheese. Reception was often empty; I waited around 10 minutes before anyone appeared. The room's toilet was dirty and clogged, so I reported it and asked for the room to be cleaned and the toilet sorted. When I came back, all they'd done was put the duvet back on the bed. I found the housekeeper and asked again, but she told me to go back to reception or unclog it myself, then handed me the toilet brush. That's absurd. The housekeeping service was terrible.