Seaton hotel

A Premier Inn just one block back from the seafront at Seaton - it should have been great for a 4 night winter break. However, the hotel is tired and grubby, understaffed and unable to offer basic services such as changing towels, emptying bins, cleaning or even providing a promised breakfast. It was a struggle to attract staff attention for anything and their stress showed in hostile interactions. It often seemed they had thrown in the towel. We were offered free breakfast on two mornings as a remedy, but there was little food on offer, no water in the coffee machine and the dining room looked like it had been abandoned, with piles of dirty crockery and empty food trays. There were 8 people in front of us in a queue waiting to be seated (with no staff in sight) until another guest departing after breakfast advised us to go elsewhere. Rooms and corridors are not being maintained or cleaned properly (actually, we never saw any cleaning - even rubbish on the corridor remained throughout), equipment doesn't work and the poor staff are clearly having a bad time. The guests were too! The chair in one of our rooms was horribly stained and the toilet seat was also permanently stained. The beds were comfortable and it is fairly quiet in the rooms. There are several restaurants nearby (including for breakfast) and the town is within easy walking distance. The stay was quite cheap, but I'd rather have paid a bit more and had a better experience. Had I been on my own, I would have been quite depressed, but we were able to turn this into the joke it was.

Good stay and very comfortable bed but room was missing furniture and the wifi was dreadful. Breakfast was okay but nothing special

Room was fine, nice walk in shower, everything as it should be, that is until we encountered the restaurant! Evening meal missing ingredients, no wine glasses available, next morning the chef never turned up so no cooked breakfast. That evening meal was restricted by what the chef could cook, ie no pizzas. Still no wine glasses, the meal we did have was fine. Next morning chef turned up but couldn’t do poached eggs, the hotplate for keeping food warm wasn’t working , likewise plates. Long wait for individual pieces of hot food. Reluctant to book meal deal in future at time of booking as not sure what sort of service will be on offer. Never had a problem like this before at any other Premier Inns.

We have stay in the seaton Premier inn several times and always had a wonderful experience. On this occasion Paul one of the early morning staff members went absolutely above and beyond! My autistic son is an early waker and to avoid waking his sister we sit in reception from around 5am. Paul made us feel very welcome offing me a much needed coffee and putting cartoons on the TV for my son. Honestly couldn't have asked for a more perfect service from someone! Thank you Paul

Our rooms were not cleaned or serviced at all during a 4 night stay when they were not particularly clean on arrival. Some furniture was very dusty and the toilet in one of the bedrooms was disgusting. Notices in the reception asked guests to inform staff by 12 noon if you required a room cleaned. We did this and it was later claimed that we had not done so before 12 noon. On another occasion, the manager refused, yes refused, to clean the rooms saying that he did not have enough staff. We were continually thrown into a situation where we were constantly going to reception to complain and/or get clean towels. Our rooms were never cleaned. The hotel overall is looking very tired and staff give the impression that they are often overwhelmed and demotivated. Breakfast could be chaotic - one morning the restaurant had completely run out of food at about 9.30. Tables were not cleared and piles of plates, cutlery covered every table and the bar area. Things don't work and are not fixed - such as the automatic check in machines. Communal areas are not clean and the lifts are filthy. What is most concerning is that Premier Inn do not seem to be concerned about bad reviews and feedback and do not respond. I've stayed in acceptable premier inns that were good value for money but have genuine concerns and complaints about this particular hotel. This hotel does match advertising and website claims.