Many people from the UK will have stayed at a Premier Inn, but one guest shared her experience staying at one of the company’s East Midlands hotels, including something she didn’t expect
Premier Inn is a popular budget hotel brand in the UK and can be recognised by its signature purple and white colour scheme. Most of the hotels have similar features, like the room layouts, but one location stood out to a hotel guest.
Kerri, a mum from Norfolk who works in the travel industry, recently stayed at the Premier Inn Derby City Centre Riverlights hotel and was surprised by one thing. Turning to TikTok, she said: “Well, this is new for a Premier Inn. I’ve got a room that I’ve never had before and I’ve stayed in so many Premier Inns I’ve actually lost count.”
The hotel guest first showed viewers the courtyard she could see outside of her room with potted plants growing in the middle hanging on a wooden structure, which she found “strange for one.”
She was also surprised to see tiles on the floor in and near the bathroom and discovered that when you close the bathroom door, it opens the wardrobe.
What Kerri really didn’t expect, however, was the long walk to her car from the hotel room.
The travel worker had to go down a number of corridors and through several doors to get out of the hotel and once she got out, she had to walk around the hotel, cross the road, go under a bridge, walk up some steps into the Derbion Shopping Centre, down some more corridors and down some steps into the basement car park where her car was.
At the end of the video when she finally made it to her car, she playfully said: “Let’s just say the last thing you wanna do is forget something in your car if you’re staying in the hotel. That takes forever.”
In the caption of her post, she wrote: “It’s a long a** walk to your car staying at this Premier Inn!
“Plus side – you get your steps in and it’s a great location for the mall!”
Premier Inn Derby City Centre Riverlights, located near the River Gardens, doesn’t have on-site parking but guests can park their vehicles at the nearby Derbion Basement Centre Car Park for a discounted rate of £8 for 24 hours by registering at reception.
It takes about 10 minutes to walk to this car park from the hotel. Kerri’s TikTok video has garnered thousands of views, hundreds of likes and more than 70 comments.
One user sarcastically said: “Omg the trauma.” Another added: “Haha I know Derby when I see it, I was a student there and it’s probably because the city centre is very pedestrianised and it’s just a bit of a pain to drive round.
“Car parks have always been scarce.” Someone who stayed at a different Premier Inn commented: “It’s like this for the Cardiff Queen Street Premier Inn – we have got lost so many times walking from the car park to the hotel.”
Premier Inn has been approached for comment.