Saffron Walden hotel

Good hotel. Nice, efficient staff. Room exactly as expected from a Premier Inn. Having read other reviews, I was concerned about this stay however I found the staff pleasant and the rooms clean and stocked with towels. Only comment would be the shower glass and chrome could do with a buff to remove water marks. Overall, a great one night stay.

We recently stayed at this Premier Inn, which is only six years old, and unfortunately the experience didn’t quite meet expectations. While the hotel was cleaner than some older branches, the room didn’t feel as fresh or well-maintained as we’d hoped. There were small but noticeable signs of wear — dust in the corners, slightly grubby surfaces — things that could easily be addressed with a bit more attention to detail. One of the reasons we chose this location was for the air conditioning, especially during a heatwave. When we arrived, we were pleased to be able to set the temperature to around 18 or 19°C, which made the room feel comfortable and cool. However, at some point it was changed remotely and locked at 21°C, which left us far too warm overnight. It felt like a real letdown, especially as we’d booked hoping for a restful, cool night’s sleep. The mattress was also a problem. It was extremely firm — uncomfortably so — and you could feel the springs. I had always thought Premier Inn prided itself on offering comfortable beds, but perhaps that reputation belongs more to Travelodge. A more moderate, medium firmness would likely suit most people better than something quite this hard. We also ate in the adjoining restaurant, and the food was incredibly average at best — nothing memorable in terms of flavour or presentation. What stood out more, unfortunately, was the chef’s appearance. Although he seemed polite and friendly, his overall presentation didn’t reflect well on hygiene standards. His hands didn’t appear especially clean, he was handling food without gloves, and he had a generally unkempt appearance, including missing teeth. While none of this is a personal criticism, it didn’t inspire much confidence in the meal. Overall, our stay fell short of the usual Premier Inn standard. With improvements to temperature control, mattress comfort, and professional presentation in the restaurant, this hotel could offer a much more reliable and comfortable experience.

Everything except the dinner was awesome. Very expensive dinner for what it was. Quality of food was really bad. Also there was only one member of staff for the bar and the entire restaurant. Both staff members on shift that night in the entire hotel, doing absolutely everything should get a raise and a promotion.

No towels in room, ordered a streak in restaurant asked for medium it came overcooked when l complained to waitress she wasn’t least bit interested. Bar ran out of beer when ordering at dinner. Tried frozen fruit at breakfast still frozen rock hard. Our friends had to change rooms as toilet did not flush . Lots of lime scale in bathroom and very low water pressure. Have stayed premier inn many times but this has put me off for future stays.

Room was reasonable although we had to ask for a bath towel as they'd only given us 1. Food at dinner was poor. Very long wait to be asked what we would like as well as receiving the food and then finding it wasn't particularly good. Others were having the same problem. Will not return.