Hartlepool Marina hotel

We have stayed at this Premier Inn many times over the last few years. The location next to the marina was why we stayed the first time and then why we kept on returning. It was always great value and all but 2 rooms I believe , have views of at least part of the marina. We never had much luck with the food in the restaurant and chose to dine out as there is plenty of choice of good restaurants nearby. Sadly, many of the original great things with this hotel have now changed. Price increases generally, (which is the same across most hotels), however, you now pay extra for rooms with a view and this last time we visited, there are now parking charges. The car park is no longer free. It is only £3 per night, but that will almost certainly increase over time. The hotel is looking shabby, less clean and the rooms look tired. The WIFI, although free and has worked well in the past, was a nightmare this weekend and I was constantly having to sign back in every few minutes. The reception staff were pleasant as always and it must be quite difficult for them as they must also notice the decline in the hotel as well as we have. Such a shame, but we will be looking for alternative hotel groups when we visit the North East.

We stayed in room 102 which was on the first floor next to the stairs and above reception. The door leading into reception from the rooms continually banged shut all through the night. We managed to get between 3 and 4 hours sleep if we were lucky. We assumed this could only have been members of staff going backwards and forwards from the team room to the reception desk. This was a nice premier inn in a good location but unfortunately this experience would definitely put us off returning.

This Premier Inn appears to be long overdue a refresh. Stained carpets in the hallways and peeling paint on the balcony railings add nothing to the experience. The view of the old west dock through the peeling paint on the window bars was depressing rather than uplifting, certainly not worth the extra tenner for a room with a view. Breakfast in the attached Brewers Fayre was an abysmal buffet style affair, whatever happened to cooked to order?

We stayed at this hotel for one night, and it’s put us off Premier Inn hotels altogether now, despite having been regular loyal customers for 20 years. We had booked 2 rooms with views, only to be told when ringing up beforehand that all the rooms have views anyway. On arrival there was a mix up over payment, as I’d booked standard rate, and they said it had been refunded and I had to pay again. After stating that I’d paid, and being asked to show my banking app statement as proof, they eventually checked us in. Then late at night I was awoken by a phone call asking me to go down and pay. After getting up, getting dressed and heading downstairs, I was threatened with being thrown out, and when I said I’d rather leave and move on to another hotel than pay again, I was told they’d not let me check in anywhere else, so implying they’d blacklisted me somehow. After an hour of arguing, I had to give in and pay the money, which left us short at the start of our holiday. After taking it up with customer services, I’ve since had both amounts refunded, but I should never have had the problem in the first place, and customer services have admitted there was a glitch in the system. They are, however, accusing me of bad behaviour, which is a complete lie. My autistic grandson was with us, and fortunately slept through the whole thing, but at one point my husband and I were being thrown out, leaving a young vulnerable boy alone. As for the hotel, it’s tired and shabby, as is the restaurant. It’s not a nice area, and we saw some dodgy people when going out for a quick walk, so headed back quickly. The “view’ from both rooms was overlooking a stretch of water and a building site, certainly not the marina view full of boats that we were led to believe we’d get. The pictures on the website are misleading. There are hideous rusting bars at the windows which are very unsightly. There are no net curtains, so passers by were looking straight up into our room, no privacy at all. Water pressure very poor, WiFi very poor. The restaurant has peeling walls and seating with badly torn upholstery. The food was ok however. If anyone stays there, be prepared for very poor customer service, staff who tell lies and gang up on you when asked for their side of the story. Total nightmare, and a disgrace to the brand.

Unpleasant check in experience with stressed and disinterested staff. No servicing of rooms for multiple night stays any more. Really bad wifi connection. Entire facility showing its age and lack of renovation. Excellent experience at separate restaurant on site for breakfasts.