Two nights at London County Hall Hotel: Premier Inn (Premier Inn in General)

Member Name: ms_memory

Product:	Premier Inn in General
Date:	18/11/08 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Amazingly central, delicious breakfast, professional staff

Disadvantages: Could be more stylish; some noise from hallway

I stayed at the Premier Inn London County Hall, Belvedere Road, last week (mid-November). It's just 5 mins' walk from Westminster Bridge. I was on the 5th floor, without much of a view apart from concrete, though the London Eye was visible from the landing!

The room - a double - was perfectly functional and very clean, medium-sized and with a smallish bathroom (though it was fine for one person and, more importantly, had lots of hot water) and just enough wardrobe hanging space for a weekend's worth of clothes. The TV was slightly too small and far away to watch it from the bed, and there was no radio apart from Capital FM on the TV. The decor could have been a bit more striking (faded flower prints on the walls, peach-coloured paint), but then anyone staying this centrally and paying 293 pounds for 2 nights for the privilege of doing so is going to be out and about seeing the sights of London (or working in my case) and not sitting in the room staring at the walls.

The downsides:

- I could hear the neighbours coming back from a night out - the door was not very well soundproofed. It sounded as though they'd had fun, at least!

- The quilt on the (albeit very comfortable) bed was thin and I woke up cold during the night, even though the heating was turned up to 23 (the highest it would go). A quick search around the room did not result in my finding a spare blanket, so I had to put my coat on to keep warm!

The upsides:

- The location cannot be faulted. I was at Trafalgar Sqaure in 10 mins (though I am a fast walker). Waterloo station is even closer. Big Ben was just around the corner. There were also plenty of restaurants (e.g. YoSushi) and coffee bars in the same street as the hotel. The area was well-lit and felt safe late at night.

- The staff were generally excellent. They were friendly, helpful and extremely polite (though a bit too efficient - every time I left the breakfast table to pick up more sugar or another coffee I returned to find my plates had been cleared away even though I hadn't finished). The breakfast was included in my room rate, though it could be purchased for 7 or 8 pounds for those with different room packages. It was served in a bright, roomy bar and consisted of a self-service buffet of cereal, fruit salad, yoghurts, toast, English cooked breakfast, pastries, muffins, juices, tea and several different types of Costa coffee. It was the best hotel breakfast I've eaten (when my plates were not being swiped before I'd finished, that is). Metro newspaper was available, but I was not offered any other papers. Some guests appeared to have had other dailies such as The Independent delivered to their rooms - it seemed you had to ask for any extras like this; they were not offered as a matter of course.

When I checked out I was allowed to leave my bag in the luggage store all day and was even told I could leave it overnight (as a special concession) if necessary, though it's normally againt the rules.

All in all, my stay was fairly enjoyable. The cheerful staff and the great location really made up for any hiccups and I woud stay there again (but perhaps dress warmly just in case!).

Summary: Good values rooms in central London