Uttoxeter hotel

Let's start with the positives. Lovely staff, comfortable bed, great location for Alton towers and fab breakfast! Unfortunately our first night was a disaster and to be honest I have never been so upset staying in a hotel before. 5 weeks I ago I rang to ask if I could bring balloons and banners to decorate the hotel room for my sons birthday. They actually insisted they could sort everything and not to worry. I called again the day before we were due to travel just to check all was ok still, which we were told yes. 3.5 hour drive i actually couldnt wait to see my sons face walking into the room. Guess what nothing?!!!  Off i went to reception and the lady couldnt have been more apologetic and said they will sort something for our dinner reservation instead which i accepted. We headed to the bar area at 6pm for a pre drink before our dinner slot at 6.45pm. They said the table was ready at 6.30 which was fine and we walked round to 4 party hats on the table a birthday card and some chocolate. Now this is not what we were promised and they had clearly forgotten. Just felt really disappointed. We even had a birthday cake in the car to bring into the restaurant later to sing happy birthday and im so pleased we didn't.... and this is where it all went wrong....We ordered food 6.40pm and were told really sorry but theres a 20-25 min delay with the food. (That i can deal with) 40 mins later still nothing and the restaurant was full and basically only 1 table eating. That's when people started to either complain or actually get up and leave! I am honestly not the complainer but this was an absolute joke. The front of house staff I felt incredibly sorry for being the ones who had to face loads of unhappy customers. We have later been informed they started 2 new chefs solo on the same night on easter weekend! Make that make sense?? 8pm is when we actually got up and left. So 90 minutes from sitting down and no food. Not acceptable. We had to walk over to the service station next door to buy subway sandwiches. Not how I wanted to spend my sons 12th birthday sat  on the floor in our hotel room eating an over priced sandwich! I actually went to bed that night extremely upset dreading breakfast the following day. The next morning we headed down for breakfast and we were greated by a lovely lady. Explained our situation last night and how In all fairness it had ruined my sons birthday. She was very apologetic and gave us complimentary breakfast. Which was very kind. And we were in and out within 10 mins ready to head to alton towers for the day! Breakfast was actually lovely. Day 2 was a much better day visiting alton towers and for dinner that evening we stayed clear of the restaurant and went to another one 3 mins down the road. I feel like this is a ongoing problem for the hotel now looking at previous reviews which is a shame! The premier inn its self is clean and in a great location but more investment is needed because I can imagine we are certainly not the only ones disappointed by Friday evening. I do not have a bad word to say about the staff... from the reception area to the bar staff. I dont know how they do it because if that was me on Friday night I would've walked out!

Had a lovely stay here this week. Evening food was average but the rooms were clean, staff were lovely ! Nicole and the other lady who served us were lovely. Thank you for making it a great stay !

We stayed here as part of a two day trip to Alton Towers as it's only a short drive (around 15-20mins) from the park. It's also only a short distance from some fast food restaurants and shops. Ultimately, it's a Premier Inn, you know what you're going to get. The room was clean, the bed was comfy, we got a good night's sleep and the staff we encountered were friendly. We'd stay again quite happily. Good hotel at a reasonable price.

What has happened??? Have stayed before on a couple of occasions as a stop over before heading to Alton Towers. Can't fault location, staff great but the facilities have undergone a change and not for the better in our eyes. Rooms are standard, comfortable and fine for what you need from a Premier Inn but the facilities to eat and drink there are now woefully lacking. Previous years' we've eaten and drunk in the on site bar and restaurant, used to be a pub bar and grill feel as recently as last year. Not now ... Menu was quite extensive and although pricing was a little over the odds as you expect when a relatively captive audience, we never really noticed it until in comparison with this year. Now, the bar and restaurant has shrunk and moved maybe to make way for more rooms, this time Premier Rooms. Result is a small restaurant which looks lovely but a tiny bar with limited options and the food menu has shrunk in both offering s and portion size whilst the prices seem to have shot up. I wanted a Caesar Salad which was nearly £15 for a small bowl (dessert bowl size) of shredded iceberg lettuce. Couldn't see the parmesan, croutons were straight out a catering bag the size you find in a Cup-a-Soup and dressing out of a bottle. Whole thing could only have come in at around £2 max to make. Add a chicken portion (not a breast of fillet) for another £3.50 and you're looking at nearly £20. Portion of ravioli was tiny, wouldn't have fed a child and again to make is substantial, had to add chicken slice at extra cost. Rest of menu followed the same vein. Bar options incredibly limited and pricey now too and with only 8 seats outside of the restaurant, there is nowhere to simply relax with a drink. Word of advice - take a walk or a taxi to Uttoxeter and eat and drink there, Wetherspoons always an option for value and lots of other more traditional pubs and eateries on offer. We will certainly do that if we stay again. Shame as the staff are great, friendly and welcoming and that's the only thing that would bring us back now with those changes. I'm sure there's a financial reason that makes sense to someone but if you're going to make opportunistic money out of those who perhaps can't walk or travel off site, at least try to make it a more subtle attempt. Times are tight, if you can get away to enjoy some time with those you love it's a luxury for many now but it would be a whole lot easier if facilities took a moment to consider what will keep people loyal and returning. A fair price for a fair stay will never be taken for granted but a fleecing for the necessary extras like food and a place to sit and unwind can and do make all the difference when travelling for business or leisure.

We had a great meal last night, Nicole and Becky were really friendly and accomodating of our large group and ever changing needs. Thank you very much 🥰