Premier Inns are my go to when I want a good quality, reasonably priced hotel in a convenient location. Lets get into this one:
The Good Stuff - I managed to score this hotel for just under £140 for two nights, which is amazing given its proximity to London Stansted. So to get from the airport to the hotel means getting a dedicated shuttle bus from Bay 19 outside the airport where all the buses leave from. They run every 30 minutes and cost £4.00 (four) - just pay the driver - cash works. Journey time is only about ten minutes. Same in reverse from right outside the hotel to the terminal. Service runs 24/7.
[For info, the train station is underneath the airport. You can catch a train from here direct into London (Liverpool Street, where you can connect with the Tube) - every 45 minutes and about £20 return. Bishops Stortford is a nice little town with a beautiful park and is the first stop on this train (if you don't need to go into Central London) - journey time is only 8 minutes and costs about £9 return.]
The hotel reception is clean and well lit and self service check in is available, with help available for those who need it. Lifts/elevators and common areas are clean, bright and well maintained.
I had a Premier Plus room with very comfortable bed, TV, coffee machine, fridge, iron and ironing board. Shower had both regular and rain shower options, and had enough towels and good quality toiletries. The choice of lighting was also a nice feature (white or purple). Temperature in the room was perfect and easily adjustable and responsive if needed throughout he wall control. I heard no noise from either the corridor or from outside the hotel itself, and room was dark enough to be able to sleep well.
Not living in the UK any longer, I miss the cooked breakfast, so I always make a point of grabbing one when I visit. The Premier Inn does a very good job at this. You can pay the same morning when you go down to the restaurant. I think it was around £14 for a buffet breakfast - pretty much all you can eat and it is very good quality. You can also ask for oatmeal/porridge and they will make it fresh for you in less than ten minutes - the whole thing was delicious. Service starts around 6:30am and runs until about 10am - please check this for accuracy.
Housekeeping staff - I only met one but she was very kind and helpful with extra towels and coffee.
The Not So Good Stuff - this is not a reflection of Premier Inns in general, just my experience at this one this time. When I entered the room, there was a smell, like a chemical smell - not dangerous, just not fragrant. Really not sure what it was but it did linger.
Also when I went to use the toilet, I was surprised to see that someone had used it (#1 thankfully) and hadn't flushed. Simple solution - just flush it. I did, but I have never seen this before and it did make me wonder about the cleanliness of the rest of the room - bed, carpets, fridge, shower - but these all seemed fine. I mentioned it to the lady on reception who said she would inform housekeeping. That was the last I heard of it. The toilet issue was not related to the odd smell in the room.
I didn't use any of the other facilities in the hotel other than what I have mentioned. I would have no hesitation staying here again, despite those issues which I view as anomalies rather than the norm. Staff, food, price, location - all great. Almost five stars but probably 4.1.