Premier Travel Inn Oldham - Central, Oldham

...- was the Oldham Central Premier Inn (about 12 miles from the Gmex where we were planning to park). Now this hotel is literally right next to Oldham football ground and they were playing at home but we had absolutely no problem getting a room! We actually hadn't realised that the game was on, otherwise we would have pushed it a bit on the way up and got there in time to go and see the match.

There were lots of cars parked in the surrounding ...
...seems to be standard for Premier Inn so there was lots of room to manoeuvre and there was also a chair and table.

The décor was nothing to write home about, with a rusty brown carpet & curtains but the room was very clean and there was a heater which warmed the room quickly - ideal as it was a cold night and the window had been open when we arrived. The TV on the desk, had a swivel stand so you could watch it whether you were in bed ... more

My husband had to go to Manchester for a meeting at fairly short notice and would be staying over the night before. As I'm not working at the moment, I decided to tag along - any excuse to go shopping in Manchester for a few hours.

Unfortunately, it being the 4th March, Manchester United were playing at home in the Champions League and, despite the best efforts of his company travel people, the nearest they could get at a price they were willing to pay - £58 room and £7.50 breakfast - was the Oldham Central Premier Inn (about 12 miles from the Gmex where we were planning to park). Now this hotel is literally right next to Oldham football ground and they were playing at home but we had absolutely no problem getting a room! We actually hadn't realised that the game was on, otherwise we would have pushed it a bit on the way up and got there in time to go and see the match.

There were lots of cars parked in the surrounding streets and we thought we might have a problem getting into the Car Park but, because of the football, there was someone at the entrance checking that anyone coming in was actually staying at the hotel or eating in the Brewers Fayre next door.

Check-in was easy. Even though the room was originally booked for one person, you don't pay extra as the room rate is standard whether you have one person or more. The receptionist quickly amended the booking and I paid for an extra breakfast (£7.50). There was a sign on reception advising that the attached restaurant would be busy up until kick-off but that food was served until 9.30 p.m. and the receptionist also advised us of this. We didn't make use of the restaurant as we had got some food on the way.

The reception area also has a vending machine for drinks and snacks and two PCs for Internet access. We used this as we hadn't brought laptops with us - it cost £3.00 for 30 mins - you can either purchase a token from reception (which we did) or pay with your Credit Card. Whilst the cost is a bit steep, it was useful as we had a few things to do.

We had Room 1 which is a Disabled room on the ground floor and is just through the door from reception and to the right. Being physically able myself (well most of the time) I obviously don't look at things in the same way as eg someone who is wheelchair bound but I've tried to for the purposes of this review.

The first thing I noticed is that the door from reception to the bedrooms might be quite difficult to manoeuvre if on your own as, although certainly wide enough for a wheelchair or motorised scooter, it didn't appear to have an automatic opening button.

The entrance door to the room had a low level eyehole as well as a normal height one and the room itself had a low level table/desk and mirror above. The hanging rail was also at ½ height and there were three shelves. The room was larger than seems to be standard for Premier Inn so there was lots of room to manoeuvre and there was also a chair and table.

The décor was nothing to write home about, with a rusty brown carpet & curtains but the room was very clean and there was a heater which warmed the room quickly - ideal as it was a cold night and the window had been open when we arrived. The TV on the desk, had a swivel stand so you could watch it whether you were in bed or sitting in the chair and there were tea/coffee making facilities. As is normal for me, I had to go to reception and ask for more coffee and milk and this was no problem. The hairdryer in the room was, for some reason, on the wall behind the telly and it was a bit of a faff to use.

Lastly, the bed - now I'm not fussy about beds generally as I can sleep anywhere. However, this bed was so soft and bouncy it made me feel sick. Every time you moved you felt like you were riding a wave for a few minutes. I thought ok, we just got a bad bed but I stayed in another Premier Inn a few days later in another part of the country and had the same problem so it appears they've made a conscious decision to have super-soft beds - be warned if you like something a bit firmer. I also felt it was a bit high and could be a problem if you didn't have full mobility.

The bathroom was well laid out - again there was plenty of room and it had a low bath with a shower over, sink and toilet with plenty of grab rails at different heights around the bath and toilet and a non-slip floor. There was also a pull alarm (I guess this is linked to reception) both next to the bath and, on one side of the bed.

Breakfast was served at the Brewers Fayre next door and we were seated and asked what cooked breakfast we wanted within a couple of mins. I started off with some fruit and yoghurt which was nice and we also had toast which you do yourself - I always have to put my bread through the machine twice though as I like toast, not coloured bread. They serve Costa Coffee which was nice and the cooked breakfast was lovely, particularly the sausages. They also had the usual assortment of individually packed cereals and pastries available.

Overall, the hotel was ok for a one night stay and the disabled room facilities appeared good but I don't think I'll be choosing to stay in a Premier Inn again in a hurry, unless they sort out the uncomfortable beds. I would probably give 3.5 stars if this was an option.

Westwood Park
Chadderton Way
Oldham
OL1 2PA

08701 977 292
www.premierinn.com

"P.S. Shopping trip was also productive - a pair of shoes, a jacket and a top!" 

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