A very disappointing stay at the Crossbush Premier Inn, largely due to the overly rigid and poorly managed breakfast system.
We arrived at 18:30 and were informed that breakfast had to be pre-booked, rather than simply requesting a table on arrival. When we asked for a 09:00 sitting, we were told the only available options were before 07:45 or after 10:30. We also checked whether we could arrive slightly later than 07:45, but were told we would not be seated as the restaurant was “fully booked.” To make matters worse, our party of six was told we could not sit together at that time and would need to be split across separate tables. As we already had plans for the following day so we reluctantly accepted the early slot.
When we punctually arrived at the restaurant it was almost empty apart from a family of four and were joined later by a handful of additional diners. The majority of tables remained empty until at least 09:30 (the last time I checked before checking out), and likely beyond that time.
This made the strict booking system feel completely unnecessary and very frustrating, particularly as this approach has never been used in other Premier Inns, I’ve stayed at. It significantly impacted what should have been a relaxed weekend, making it feel more like a boot camp than a break.
We were also told that non-guests can dine at the restaurant, which gave us the impression that this set up was to ensure that tables would be available to walk-in diners rather than paying hotel guests.
Overall, this experience was disappointing and not in line with a brand that trades on “You know what you are getting” which was completely out of kilter with our experience.