Chester (Railway Station) hotel

The location is brilliant as its near the train station and the town centre. The rooms are really nice with everything you need in them. Its very clean. You dont get any traffic noise. You also get a kettle with cups and the assorted condiments, and if you run out there are plenty more on Reception.

Overall it offers good quality and value, budget accommodation. Location is within walking distance of the main shopping area and historic City Walls

I wasn’t originally going to leave a review of this hotel, because despite one glaring issue I liked the hotel and wanted to give Premier Inn the opportunity to address my concern offline. However, I do not feel their response has been adequate so now feel I must warn others. I stayed in room 330 on 28th October and on waking the following day spotted a suspicious insect crawling across the floor. I took a photo and checked out of the hotel, not wanting the cause a scene, but on my way home I compared the photo with images of bed bugs online and it confirmed my suspicions that the insect was a bed bug. I phoned the hotel to report it because naturally, I didn’t want anyone else to experience this and thought the hotel would take action. However, I was told by the man on the phone that it was unlikely to be a bed bug and he didn’t seem too concerned. I offered to send the photo so they could assess the situation and was given an email address for customer feedback. As soon as I had sent the email I received an automated reply saying the inbox was no longer monitored so I called the hotel again, spoke to a different man who gave me another email address. However, it also returned a message that it wasn’t monitored. So I went to the Premier Inn website and found a WhatsApp number and tried to send the photo that way only to receive a message saying it was only possible to chat between 8am-6pm. Then when I tried again the following morning I got a message to say they were unable to accept new chats but I could phone a number in the automated message. I tried the number but it was not in service so I went back to the website to find a number for customer feedback. This worked, although I was left talking to a virtual assistant for ages before I got through to a human. When I tried to explain the issue I kept being asked for the booking reference and the last four digits of the card I used, neither of which I knew because the booking was made through work. Eventually I was told that I would be emailed and that I could reply to that email with the photograph. I did this on Friday, it is now Tuesday and I have still had no response, no apology and no assurances that the hotel plans to take action to mitigate their infestation. As I said, I liked the hotel apart from this issue so did not want to write a review that will stay online for years to come putting off future customers but the way Premier have responded (or rather not responded) to this issue has left me no choice. The hotel has bed bugs (verified by myself, AI and several people I have shown the photo to). Customer service is diabolical. And most importantly I have no faith that the hotel will address the issue. Furthermore, to prevent my own home from potentially becoming infested I have had to seal up my luggage for six months including items of clothing that cannot be washed at the high temperatures required to kill any bed bugs or eggs. This has meant that I have had to buy a new coat, jeans and several items of outdoor clothing (waterproofs, fleece, thermals, hat, gloves etc) which I had with me as part of my work trip (I work in the elements so need specialist gear), and so am quite out of pocket. And that’s not to mention the psychological implications as I am on another field trip this week in another hotel and am now paranoid. Despite my going to great extents to send evidence, Premier Inn have not taken this issue seriously.

We arrived as a group of four, split between two rooms. Our reception host was incredibly friendly. The lift at the front is currently unable to reach the third floor but naturally that isn't the fault of the staff and there are other ways around. The room I was in was clean and tidy. Tea, coffee and milk provided. One of the glass teacups was chipped but it wasn't really worth raising, it isn't the end of the world. Cozy beds, extra bedding available and also air con. Standard wifi worked just fine.

The hotel is in a good location just a few minutes walk from the station nd on the edge of the high street. Wouldn’t rate the welcome as being particularly friendly, more matter of fact. “I’d like to check in” response “have you paid for early check in?” How about hello and take my details and you’ll see I have paid for it. The main lift I was told was faulty and didn’t go to my floor which necessitated a long walk to the back of the hotel to the other lift. Corridors are depressing with dirty carpets, chipped paintwork and need redecorating. My Premier Plus room was the worst of its type I’ve stayed in. Again needs redecorating. Bathroom and in fact the whole room smelt of damp. You needed to get out of bed and point the remote at the tv to get it to react. The ultimate wifi was woeful. I had to use the tethering function off my phone instead. This wasn’t worth the price and the premier room upgrade cost but luckily was only for one night.