Durham City Centre (Milburngate) hotel

We were meant to be stopping for our daughter’s graduation beginning of July 2023, only to chance upon the Premier Inn website information that the reservations we had made would NOT be met because this hotel isn’t due to open until September 2023!! Like many others, I think we would have only been told days before our intended booking that we were not able to stay in the city hotel and offered an alternative hotel miles away from the city centre. It is disgraceful of premier inn to allow bookings to be taken, knowing this hotel is not fit for purpose as it is still under construction.

Totally let down booked in December 2022 for daughters graduation no mention that the hotel was in the process of being built!! Only found out by chance that it wasn’t finished had no email or notification from Premier Inn rang today after an hour on hold I found out that they are sending out emails in batches and was offered a room in a Premier inn on an industrial estate. 5 miles away with a £20 discount to cover taxi fairs!! this isn’t good enough and it’s shocking that they took bookings knowing that there was a chance the hotel wouldn’t be finished. Other hotels in the city or full or are now making the most out of the room shortage.

Booked this in December for 3 nights to go to my daughter’s graduation- cancelled one month before graduation and offered an alternative on an industrial park outside of Durham. The hotel has been accepting bookings and then cancelling for over a year now. Can’t book anywhere else as everywhere in the centre of the city is now booked or £1000s

I have 8 rooms booked in this hotel and I was about to book more. On 15th July I checked for more rooms to book but they were oddly taken off sale. I thought this a bit strange and contacted their customer care to be told that there isn't an issue and that there are no issues with our bookings. In early August the website was updated to say that the hotel wouldn't be open until 22nd December, some 3 months after we are due to stay. I called customer care again but they didn't have this information and didn't know what to do. They assured me that we would be booked in another Premier Inn in the city. A few days later and eight emails come from the manager to tell me that they won't be opening and that they can transfer or cancel the booking. Cancelling is not an option, since all other rooms in Durham are now double the price compared to when we booked. I asked to transfer to the Walkergate Premier Inn which is the other hotel in the city and was told that they do not have rooms available. Though on 15th July and even in early August they still had plenty of rooms. So basically, awful management practices and very poor management mean that those rooms have now sold, instead of being held for us when they clearly knew (when the rooms were taken off sale) that they wouldn't be able to honour our bookings over a month ago. Stay away from staying here. They will not honour your booking and they will give you no alternative and viable options. It is suggested that we stay out of the city, but not in Premier Plus rooms which we have booked and they will throw in a free breakfast! Firstly, we paid a premium to stay in the city and we paid extra for Premier Plus rooms. Absolutely awful experience and I would not recommend this hotel to anyone!