I booked this hotel in advance via Premier Inn's website and it cost £19 for a double room. My previous visit to this hotel 10 months ago for the same room cost £79 per night!
We were visiting Newcastle to see family. Keen to avoid the sometimes complexities of one way systems/city centre driving we looked at the website for East Coast rail and managed to get advance tickets which would take us to a rail station minutes from the hotel. The rail fares for two would cost far less than Petrol to drive there.
These good deals meant prepayment with no refund for cancellation. Normally a cautious person prefering cancellation options I was slightly out of my comfort zone, but felt the deals were too good to miss.
Our day of travel brought floods in Northern England, most rail services being cancelled or delayed (roads were also flooded), panic set in! Thankfully, our train was the only one to Newcastle that was not delayed and we enjoyed a comfortable journey.
Outside Newcastle Railway Station there is a taxi rank. A taxi from the Station to the hotel costs less than £5. For those wishing to walk it takes about fifteen minutes. For those travelling by car , the hotel does not have on site car parking, but there is an adjacent public car park with discounts.
The Premier Inn Central is situated in Newbridge Street West,in the city centre. The Hotel is close to an abundance of shops, cafes, restaurants. The Theatre Royal is five minutes away, The Laing Art Gallery with free admision is yards from the hotel.
At check in we were greeted by a friendly staff member. I like the staff at this hotel, they genuinely want to make people feel welcome and they have a relaxed, but also efficient approach. I did notice a lack of staff (ques at check in and at the restaurant), but despite the pressure all the staff maintained a professional welcoming manner.
Our room was clean, comfortable, warm and welcoming. The air conditioning/Heater was a bit noisy but not a major problem.
Our room was at the front of the hotel on the first floor, we also stayed on this floor for a previous visit. Opposite the hotel there is a nightclub. The nightclub was open that evening. Despite this we were not disturbed by noise. Having said this on both occasions we stayed at the hotel it was a Tuesday evening.I cannot say noise would not be a problem at a weekend or during the Christmas Party Season. Guests on higher floors or perhaps in rooms at the back of the hotel would have greater protection against potential nightclub noise.
The hotel has a residents bar and restaurant. The bar is relaxed and cosy. The Restaurant, spacious and airy. We ate breakfast in the restaurant. We both had the full breakfast at £8.25 a head. There is also a 'grab and go' light breakfast available at a lesser charge. I found the breakfast to be tasty,nicely cooked. There are a wide selection of cereals, A selection of breads, fruit, yoghurts, fruit juices, the traditional cooked english breakfast, coffees and teas. Special diets are catered for too.
Disabled guests are welcome and catered for. There are no ground floor rooms, there are plenty of lifts, and a wide seated fire assembly area near to the stairs for assistance in the event of a fire. I have mobility problems – I walk with sticks. I was told the rooms suitable for disabled people were on the first floor. I rang before the booking to request a room near the lift as I prefer not to walk along long corridors!. In my previous visit I was given a room suitable for a wheelchair user, as it was the only room left near to the lift on the first floor. although I did not need all the facilities it gave me the opportunity to see what was available for the more disabled guest. The bedroom was larger than the standard rooms, with rails and alarms. The bathroom was huge, it would easily accomodate more than one wheelchair and a carer It had a low level sink, seats, walk in shower with rails and alarm cord, seating and a bath with rails
My tip regarding rooms. Outside the hotel, at the front at one end, there is a spiral public walkway which is in continual use. On a previous visit I was first given a room (not the rooms mentioned above) facing the walkway. I felt uncomfortable, the walkway was so close to the room, I felt people could clearly see in to the room. I asked to be moved and was provided with the room described above which was fine. When I stayed at this hotel again, this week I telephoned in advance and asked not to be put in a room immediately facing the walkway. A photo of the hotel including this walkway is included in this review.
There is a lot to see and do in Newcastle Upon Tyne, for those wanting to explore further there are good bus,rail and metro tram links near to the hotel to take you to the Northumbrian coast and countryside. A small taxi rank is immediately outside the hotel
I would recommend this hotel for its friendly staff, comfortable rooms, good food and central location.
