Poole Centre (Holes Bay) hotel

Currently staying at this hotel, so these are just our first impressions so far. The location is absolutely fine. The hotel is opposite a busy road, but the trees and shrubbery provide a screen, so this hasn't caused us any issues. It is also close to several car showrooms, but again, this hasn't affected our stay. Unfortunately, the outside areas really let the hotel down. There is a noticeable amount of litter and rubbish around the car park and entrance, including discarded drinks and personal hygiene items. There is a lot of rubbish. It gives the impression that these areas aren't being regularly checked or cleaned and doesn't create the best first impression on arrival. On a positive note, the staff member on reception at check-in was friendly and welcoming, and our room is spacious and has what we need for our stay. However, the hand soap dispenser in the room was completely empty when we arrived, which should have been noticed and refilled when the room was prepared. Overall, the hotel feels as though it could benefit from some general TLC. Parts of the building look tired and a refresh of the paintwork, along with more attention to the cleanliness of the outside areas and room preparation, would make a significant difference. We are still staying here, so I will update the review based on the rest of our experience.

Hotel room and bed were good and slept well. Issue was car park area that was swamped with rubbish on floor. It was rubbish that had clearly built up over time. Hotel management need to sort it out.

Premier Inn Well Premier Inn Poole… not quite the start to our holiday I imagined! Room booked and paid for weeks ago. Received several lovely emails saying how much you were looking forward to our stay. After a 7-hour drive, we arrived wanting three things: check in, eat, sleep, then leave at 5.30am for our ferry to Jersey. First problem. No one at reception. When someone eventually appeared, I was curtly advised to use the self check-in screen. I politely declined. (My husband has early dementia and simply couldn’t navigate that independently, so I wanted to check in with a person, rather than have him struggle with the technology). She did eventually deign to check us in, but told me that soon Premier Inn won’t have staffed check-in desks and everyone will have to use the screens. I sincerely hope Premier Inn thinks that one through! Then to dinner. The hotel advertises an on-site restaurant and bar, but apparently we couldn’t eat because we hadn’t pre-booked. Nothing at the time of booking told me this. Nor did any of the numerous pre-arrival emails. The restaurant was around 30% full at best. Behind us came a family with three tired, hungry children after a 9-hour drive, followed by two other couples, similar story. None had been told to pre-book either. Staff admitted this happens all the time and causes endless headaches for the restaurant staff. The managers solution? We were all welcome to sit at the empty restaurant tables and order in Deliveroo or Just Eat! You genuinely couldn’t make it up. The father of the family of 5 went and collected McDonalds. I drove to Poole Harbour and collected fish & chips which, incidentally, were delicious — and brought them back to eat at the table. The manager could have eased the situation if he had been empowered to perhaps offer a complimentary drink for the inconvenienced guests. Nada. So I bought a gin & tonic. Frank had wine. I had to ask for the lemon. Apparently there was no ice. 😂 Things go wrong. That’s life. But hospitality is about communication and how you deal with things when they do. If guests MUST pre-book dinner, tell us. And please remember that replacing people with screens doesn’t work for everyone - especially those with cognitive impairment who are trying to remain independent. Premier Inn — you really can do better than this. 🧊🍋 (you certainly couldn’t do worse) 😏

Rooms were clean and comfortable. Checking in was a bit of a faff. I'd booked through a third party as it was cheaper (despite being told it shouldn’t be!) and my booking reference wasn't recognised. The bar and restaurant areas looked very tired. There was no beer (real ale) on tap. There used to be. The evening meal was very average. Breakfast was a bit of a bun fight. The staff tried their best but both coffee machines had problems, self service breakfast kept running out of choices although to be fair it was very busy around 09 00. Picked up several bits of rubbish around the car park. You need to litter pick more (if at all). ) Over all, not great value for the money but used as close to the ferry port in Poole.

I always like Premier Inn and this one gave us a good sea view too! Clean and fresh, an easy 25 minute walk direct to Poole Harbour.