Nottingham has always been close to my heart as I went to University there, so my best mate and I often return there to create havoc and reminisce about the 'good old days'. We chose to stay at the Premier Travel Inn on Goldsmith Street in Nottingham City centre as it is in a good central location close to the Victoria Shopping centre and the nightclubs.
""""""""""""""""""" LOCATION """""""""""""""""""
Goldsmith Street is in a wonderful location, it is right near the Nottingham Trent city campus. Everything from the UGC cinema, numerous restaurants, pubs and bars are all within walking distance. This suits me as I don't take my car when staying in Nottingham (our stay involves drinking a fair amount of alcohol). Whether you are going to the Theatre or Rock City this hotel is in a brilliant location.
Right next to the hotel there is a late-night newsagent called Chaucer Late. This is an invaluable place to buy munchies, alcohol and anything that you forget to pack if your memory is anything like mine! There is an HSBC cashpoint two minutes away from the hotel outside Nottingham Student Union which is very convenient. But even though the hotel is close to where all the action is it is still in a relatively quiet location. This is a good thing for light sleepers.
If you are taking your car you should be aware there is now a tram system in place in Nottingham so parking can be a bit of a nightmare. However parking is available on Talbot St car park. Alternatively
you can park at the Premier TravelInn who offer a valet service charging £6.00 per 24 hours. There is a tram line on Goldsmith St so just be careful, you don't want to end up inches away from the tram like my mate did one time.
""""""""""""""""""" Premier Lodge and Travel Inn have joined together to create the Premier Travel Inn. And they are the leading UK company when it comes to budget value hotels. Premier Travel Inn Nottingham has 160 bedrooms, including 42 doubles, 48 twin rooms, 9 disabled rooms and 62 family rooms which can accommodate up to two adults and two children. This means there is a room to suit most people's needs, if you need a cot in your room be sure to let them know when booking the room.
They have a pleasant looking restaurant called 'Slice', where you can get a full or continental breakfast (£6.95/ £5.25). It looks like a peaceful place to have a meal or a drink, but I've not been there to eat myself. The toilets are nice and clean though, so that is an excellent sign.
I like the fact there is seating in the lobby so if there's a wait for the reception desk you can take a seat. They also have a snacks machine in the lobby which is good for late night munchies, when you feel too lazy to go out and buy something.
""""""""""""""""""" CHECKING IN
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You can check in from 2.00pm. It is a simple procedure (I booked the room online), on arriving at the hotel you give them the name under which the booking was made. You will be given a simple form to fill in and will be asked to pay. Once you have paid you are given a card key and given the reception number in case you need anything. The lady at reception was very polite and apologised for me having to wait, which I didn't mind as it was only five minutes (and she was the only person at the desk).
It only took five minutes to check in and everything went smoothly, especially as the booking was made by my friend online. It is slightly annoying that I had to pay in full to get into the room- as we go Dutch when paying for the room. But we sorted that out later- useful cashpoint nearby remember! ;o)
""""""""""""""""""" THE ROOM
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We booked a twin room which annoyingly doesn't have two single beds. You get a double bed and a small kiddie-style single bed which turned out to be surprisingly comfortable. In the room you get a chair, a desk/table type thing, a mirror, a standard picture on the wall, mirror behind desk/table, bedside tables, bedside lamps, a very cheap open door style wardrobe (but the hangers were appreciated!), a Bible (I still think its weird that hotels provide this), a hairdryer, a television with some satellite channels, and a radio alarm. A nice touch is the kettle and tea/coffee making items you get. We also got a small pack of biscuits. Having a kettle is useful as we bought some Pot Noodles and soup packets in case we got peckish after clubbing.
You also get an ensuite bathroom, with extra toilet rolls and towels. I am pleased they got rid of the awful purple shower gel they did in those tiny bottles (they probably got nicked all the time). Now they have Lux shower gel attached to the wall. The shower is good quality, and the shower curtain stopped any overspray which is always good. One negative thing about the bathroom is that it has a slight musty smell because there are no windows. The extractor fan in there may have not been up to the job. You also get two extra pillows on top of the wardrobe which is a nice touch. Ciao-ers will be pleased to note that high speed internet access is available by WiFi- but I didn't test it out as I didn't take a laptop. One thing that bugged me about the room was the lighting- it really was inadequate. When putting on makeup in the actual room I ended up putting all the lights on. I ended up doing it in the bathroom as I hate to put on an excessive amount of slap.
The beds were both in good shape, firm and clean. I would've appreciated some extra blankets as I got a bit cold in the night, but apart from that it was fine. The décor is definitely on the budget side, so don't expect anything chic or modern and you won't be disappointed. However everything is clean which is important to me.
You do have a thermostatic heater which is attached to the wall and was adequate for the mild weather. I could see it being a bit chilly if it was colder though. In the room there was also a restaurant menu, and you can order a pizza in the hotel. However they struck me as being a tad overpriced and I preferred to walk down to Pizza Hut for something that I know I'd like.
Check-out was incredibly swift and just involved returning the key really. I guess this is normal as we'd already paid them!
"""""""""""""""""""""""" FINAL VERDICT
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The room is perfectly sufficient for a long clubbing weekend stay, although to be fair I wouldn't choose it for a romantic weekend with a partner. The shower was good, though we messed up the tap and couldn't turn it off. A quick call to reception and ten minutes later someone came and fixed it immediately. I was incredibly impressed with the swift response. You can borrow an iron from reception which requires a five pound deposit (you will get that back when you return the iron). If you take a bottle of wine with you I'd remember to pack a corkscrew. We had to take our bottle down to the bar to get it opened and we felt a little silly, and the bar staff weren't exactly friendly. I love the card key as it fits easily into wallets and is easy to take out with you.
Overall I'd recommend this hotel if it is budget accommodation you want. It is a safe, clean place and pretty good service too- but the best thing about it is the location. I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PRICES AND HOTEL INFORMATION
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Nottingham City Centre Premier Travel Inn (Goldsmith St) Goldsmith Street Nottingham NG1 5LT
We booked our room online, and booked a double room for one night. The prices for this hotel are:
Monday - Sunday £55.95 per room per night
Check-in time: 2.00 pm Check-out time: 12.00 pm
""""""""""""""""""" LINKS """""""""""""""""""
www.premiertravelinn.com
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Very good review. I just used some information from your text to add the Premier Travel Inn Goldsmith Street to trivago. Maybe you want to cross-post your review there as well. The direct link is http://www.trivago.co.uk/-/hotel/-137236 - You can post anonymously or as a registered member. If you decide to sign up, I would be happy if you let me send you my invite-a-friend link. Sascha
kurt187 12.08.2006 13:49
I used to live near there! kewl place aint it?!!! x
MurkyDismal 28.07.2006 13:36
I stayed here when I went to see David Gray last year, I thought it was quite decent and central for clubbing, although I don't really remember the walk back. cAT X
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Advantages: Cheap, clean room, convenient location (near Rock City and town centre) Disadvantages: Poor check in, rude staff, left waiting over 24 hrs for promised refund
Advantages: Cheap, clean room, convenient location (near Rock City and town centre) Disadvantages: Poor check in, rude staff, left waiting over 24 hrs for promised refund
Feb 27th, 2006
exceptional by (9%):
very helpful by (89%):
helpful by (1%):
