Premier Inn is known for its generally affordable room rates. Over the years, I have occasionally stayed at Premier Inns, and this was my second stay at the Blackpool North Hotel. The purpose of the stay was to attend a magicians conference called BMC. This particular Premier Inn is not as cheap as some of their other sites, likely due to the location and the timing of the nearby convention.
I booked up in advance last summer (2024) and reserved a single double room for four nights. The online booking process was straightforward as I already had an account on the website. At the time of booking, I noticed an interesting offer that basically upgraded to half board. We’re all used to paying around £12 as a bolt-on for breakfast, but I noticed an offer for breakfast and dinner for £25 a day. Having eaten at this hotel restaurant before and knowing that the menu was varied, this seemed like a bargain. So for dinner, you could have a drink, starter, and main (or main and dessert). You could then choose anything off the menu (with a couple of exceptions charging a small but reasonable upgrade fee). You could even have a third course as part of the deal if you paid a couple of quid for dessert. I didn’t take up this part of the offer.
Prior to arrival, I phoned the hotel and I was actually able to get through directly rather than a call centre. I called about early check-in possibilities or baggage drop-off as the normal check-in is 3 p.m. and I would be arriving into Blackpool at 11:15 a.m. The gent on the phone was very helpful and explained that you could not book early check-in in advance. It was a case of show up and if they had anything available, you would be charged £15. Or if nothing was available early, I could leave my bag with them to save lugging it around.
On the day of arrival, check-in was nice and smooth. A helpful member of reception also booked in my daily meal times. To secure my room rate and food offers, I had already paid in advance.
My room was on the second floor, and use of lifts was necessary. Three lifts served the hotel, and one was out of order. The lifts were slightly annoying and slow, on occasions just sitting on floors for an age before moving.
The room was exactly as you would expect and advertised. Clean and tidy, and of good upkeep. Lots of storage for my things for a room that I would be staying in for four nights.
Did I sleep well? Certainly not as well as I would have hoped. The room was comfortable, and despite the glazing and measures that the hotel has taken, a nightclub on the opposite side of the street was too noisy. The sound vibrations from the club went on into the early hours. On some occasions, the noise also picked up. The noise was excessive, and you have to question what regulations exist to avoid disturbances on the scale that occurred. I don’t hold the hotel responsible, though, but that nightclub needs regulation and I will be writing to the council.
Getting back to more positives, my first evening meal at the restaurant was impressive. The lovely staff looked after me for the entire duration of my stay, and the food was quick and offered loads of options for food choices. As I am currently calorie counting, the menu clearly listed all calories, and I was glad that they even had a Sunday lunch menu on the weekend. Starter-wise, I worked through chicken, garlic mushrooms, and prawn cocktails for starters over my stay. Mains-wise, I tried burgers, pizza, steak, and a Sunday lunch.
You can choose to eat at the bar or in the restaurant if you want full table service. I opted for the restaurant, and the environment was nice and relaxing.
Breakfast was also good with a buffet to select what you wanted. I knew in advance that their breakfast would be good.
The staff are all very friendly and make your stay special. Would I stay there again? Maybe if the standard room rate was more competitive in the future. Certainly, the bolt-on for meals was very good.
Menu here.
