Premier Inn Leicester (Braunstone)

Typical premium inn All good for business trip

Taking the kids for a weekend away at Alton Towers we decided to travel up on a Friday after school and stay here overnight on the way up as it's close to the M1. Other reviews on here complain about different things (pretty normal really), but this review is what we found. Note that upon leaving the M1 make sure you're in the left lane not lane 2 or you'll not make the next exit to get to the hotel. We arrived and it was getting dark, didn't find the carpark entrance too well lit but still able to work out where to go. Greeted in reception by a very friendly member of staff who confirmed our details and asked about our meal options, informing us the restaurant was open should we wish to eat on site. Took our bags to our room then went over to the restaurant (which has the opening times displayed) and again greeted by another friendly member of staff who told us where we could sit and provided us with menu's each. Although the restaurant was quite they weren't stood breathing down our necks waiting to take our order which was nice. Food ordered and arrived in a timely manner all freshly cooked and hot and for what we ordered everyone agreed it tasted good and presented well. Settled the bill with another friendly member of staff and headed back to the room as up early for more travelling the next day. Everyone slept well and found the beds very comfortable, with 1 exception of our youngest who probably shouldn't have had brownie and ice cream for dessert (not the hotels fault obviously). Next morning we went for breakfast and again a different member of very friendly staff greeted us with simple explanation of where to sit and help yourself to anything you'd like. Kids had fresh fruit and pastries while we had full English, and to be fair the fry up was pretty decent and readily beats the well known pub chain that offers cheap food and beer (no names mentioned to avoid free publicity). Coffee machine produced a good cup of coffee. It's nice there's no rush for check out so managed to enjoy a nice shower albeit there's a shower curtain not a screen. Check out again with another lovely member of staff who wished us all a safe journey.

After 5 weeks worth of stays this year I wouldn't hesitate to book again. The rooms are clean and warm as expected when staying at a Prem. The beds are as comfy as they should be and the showers are brilliant. The staff are all lovely and welcoming, the food again absolutely spot on for the money, only gripe is the vending machine in the reception is a bit ambitious with it's pricing (£4 for a bag of skittles), thankfully there is a Lidl over the road for your snacking needs. The restaurant is undergoing a makeover so some nights the service isn't as quick as you would expect and some drinks aren't available but any restaurant that can cater to this amount of customers whilst still maintaining a good atmosphere and a fairly robust choice of grub can't be marked down in my books. It is an older Prem and isnt quite as flash as some of the bigger city's but overall it's been a wonderful 5 weeks and I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here.

I wish I could review the hotel and Observatory restaurant separately. When you read reviews criticising the restaurant, believe them. The hotel was good, solid, Premier Inn, with the new even more comfortable beds (I think) and a great, friendly receptionist when I arrived. These are the notes I made in the restaurant, having eaten (most of, I was hungry and, being on a business trip, didn't have time to stop elsewhere) the worst breakfast I've ever been served. "Left standing at reception for several minutes despite there being literally only one person dining. Staff chatting to someone behind a screen, the "someone" was the person who finally spotted me. Card machine printer struggled once someone did come to serve me so it took a while to pay Bacon microwaved, anaemic, soft, not even 1% crispy Sausage just about cooked but casing still chewy in places Poached eggs - one literally still had raw, clear albumen, not just "snotty", the other egg virtually hard boiled. How is this even possible?! Tomato barely seen a grill, probably microwaved Mushrooms dried out, hard and chewy in places Hash browns good! Apple juice in jug must be diluted, it's so pale and tasteless" It was a Monday morning, breakfast was cooked to order, so no excuses for things being dried out etc. And I wasn't offered any toast, or checked on while eating, just to top it off.

Great visit at this premier inn. Everywhere was clean and tidy. Breakfast was lovely and great amount of choice, we had a lovely warm welcome and very helpful and polite service by Nadine and Jordan in the restaurant. Will certainly be back again soon!

Premier Inn just as expected, no issue at all. Restaurant woeful, poor service, average & expensive food. Had to ask 4 times before waitress finally brought our bottle of wine. Eat at The Hungry Horse opposite, great atmosphere, excellent service, large choice on menu and half the price