Absolutely filthy and well below Premier Inn standards. This was by far the worst Premier Inn we stayed at during our road trip, despite having stayed at several other Premier Inn hotels without any issues.
The room was absolutely filthy. There was visible damp and deteriorating plaster on the walls, particularly concerningly right next to our 9-month-old baby’s cot. There was also significant dust throughout the room, including on the television, headboard and even inside the hairdryer.
As the hotel had no air conditioning during the summer heat, we were reliant on a portable fan provided in the room. Unfortunately, the inside of the fan itself was filthy and covered in dust, meaning we effectively had a dirty fan blowing dust around the room all night. We were sneezing, our baby developed a cough during the night, and four out of five of us were unable to sleep.
To top it all off, there was also no hot water because we were told the boiler was resetting.
We had checked in very late and one of our children was already asleep. Premier Inn Guest Relations subsequently suggested that we should have complained during the night and moved rooms in order to qualify under their Good Night Guarantee. Apparently waking children and moving an entire family, including a 9-month-old baby, to another room in the middle of the night after a late check-in is considered a reasonable expectation.
The receptionist acknowledged that the hotel was due to undergo refurbishment, advising me to contact Guest Relations instead. However, refurbishment does not explain or excuse a room not being properly cleaned.
What disappointed me further was Premier Inn’s response afterwards. I supplied photographic evidence showing the condition of the room and raised specific concerns about cleanliness and the environment in which our baby had been sleeping. Despite this, Guest Relations offered little more than an apology and refused a refund under the Good Night Guarantee.
We specifically booked this Premier Inn because the children had their Warner Bros. Studio Tour booked the following morning. Instead of getting a proper night’s sleep beforehand, only one of our children managed to sleep, while the rest of us were awake for most of the night.
I am not criticising Premier Inn generally. We stayed at several of their hotels during the same road trip and had no problems whatsoever. That is precisely why this particular stay in Watford stood out so badly.
These simply are not acceptable standards for a Premier Inn, particularly where basic cleanliness is concerned.
EDIT: look at the response to this review just recieved as well, standard template response ‘contact guest relations’ when i have clearly stated I already contacted them. And they state they take comments/feedback seriously, that they have not even bothered reading this one. Speaks volumes.
TG
Transcription Guy
Aug 24, 2026
Rooms are in desperate need of renovation. HDMI port loose and not working, lamp switch broken and not working, bulb in bedside lamp snapped, temperature management not working, no spy hole (blocked up). Didn’t bother to complain as I’m only staying overnight for work. But it is the worst one I’ve stayed in by far. Staff were nice, though.
AL
Anna Leathley
Aug 20, 2026
We stoped here last Wednesday for 1 night. Our check in was seamless, the room was big and clean and the staff were all wonderful. It was the perfect location to get to the Harry Potter studios and also to get to London. We would definitely stay here again. The room was hot but we had 2 fans in our room so we slept quite well. Thank you again for a lovely stay.
RX
Ravengurl XX
Aug 16, 2026
The service of the staff was brilliant they were very professional and welcoming. However, the room left a lot to be desired. Dead bugs like spiders and a grasshopper were in our room as well a live spiders because the window had to be left open. The room smelt terribly if damp Soni think the sheets were damp or something. Bathroom wa sin good order. The room otherwise was tidy but this Premier Inn doesn't have air con or a lift so if you have a pram please call ahead and make sure this is what you want. The heatwave made the whole building hot and stuffy, was unbearable at night but the staff gave us lots of cool water and a fan in our room
BLACK MOULD, disability discrimination and dirty furniture throughout .
My friend and I spent two nights here very recently and when we entered the room their was a STRONG DAMP SMELL but we figured maybe the cleaners had just been in with some wet towels or bucket etc. thought nothing of it opened the window to air out the room etc.
the next day we were waiting for a taxi and noticed the chairs in reception had black marks all over them, we were out the whole day a returned at around 9pm. Again, very STRONG DAMP SMELL so we had a good look around and discovered the bathroom ceiling was riddled with BLACK MOULD. However it was late, due to disability etc we were unable to report it and just shut off the bathroom, went for breakfast all of the seats in the breakfast area had old BLACK DIRT MARKS on (I assume food spills that have just been left)
Luckily we were leaving anyway and no staff were on the desk.
I reported it via email to premier inn customer services and basically they said they don’t care about my disability because I didn’t report it onsite they don’t care.
We also discovered hair and blood in the sink.