1. Introduction
With more than 800 hotels in the UK, Premier Inn is the UK’s largest hotel chain. We have more hotels in more places making it easier for you to stay away from home. Our guests tell us they love the value we offer, our clean comfortable rooms and the warm welcome they receive from our Team Members.
At Premier Inn we take the needs and equal treatment of all our guests extremely seriously. We have invested heavily in this area in recent years and are committed to ensuring our facilities and services are accessible to all.
Notwithstanding this, Premier Inn recognises that there is no single hotel design or layout that will entirely meet all individuals’ needs and preferences. If during your stay you feel there is something we could do to assist you, or make your stay more comfortable, please allow us the opportunity to do so by contacting Reception.
The information in this document provides details of the accessible facilities and services available in Premier Inn hotels.
2. Bookings and pre-arrival
For details of how to book, or how to obtain information prior to arrival, please contact us via our website, Customer Contact Centre or your hotel of choice direct. Contact details can be found in the ‘Contact Information’ section towards the end of this document.
Premier Inn has a very large and diverse estate of more than 800 hotels. These include purpose-built new build hotels, conversions of existing buildings, older hotels and listed buildings. As a result, the exact nature of the facilities available may differ between hotels. Individual facilities at any of our hotels will also be subject to availability. If the provision of a particular facility is especially important to you we strongly recommend that you contact the hotel direct, prior to booking, and enquire into its availability.
3. Arrival and car parking facilities
Directions to a particular hotel, and details of local transport options, can be obtained via the Premier Inn website, Premier Inn Guide, Customer Contact Centre or by contacting the hotel direct.
Many of our hotels have their own car parks. Where this is the case the car park will have a number of designated disabled parking bays. These disabled parking bays will generally be located close to the main entrance of the hotel.
However, some of our hotels (particularly city centre locations) have limited or no parking. Where this is the case, information regarding car parking facilities in the local area can be obtained via the Premier Inn website, Premier Inn Guide, Customer Contact Centre or by contacting the hotel direct.
The vast majority of our hotels have level access to the Reception area via the main entrance. Where necessary, dropped kerbs and access ramps have been installed to facilitate access for wheelchair users.
In a few cases where level access to the hotel via the main entrance is not possible, due to the design or layout of the building, alternative access arrangements will have been made. These may include the use of platform lifts or an alternative entrance to the building.
All of our hotels have door entry buzzer systems at the main entrance that allow guests to summon a member of the Reception Team.
4. Main entrance and reception
Reception operates 24 hours a day, in addition our newer hotels also offer the flexibility of an automated check-in kiosk, Reception Team Members are available to assist any guests who may be unfamiliar or unable to use the automated check-in facilities.
Payment of hotel bills is made at check in. Our payment systems are set up to accept a signature instead of a PIN number for guests who have arranged this via their bank or building society.
Clipboards are available to assist any guests who have difficulty accessing the Reception desk.
Whilst some of our Reception areas are quite small, there will generally be at least one small table and one or two chairs provided.
In some of our larger hotels additional seating is provided in the bar or lounge area located next to Reception.
Induction loops are installed at all Reception areas in our UK hotels. Familiarisation tours of the building can be provided upon request.
Guests are advised to inform Reception at check in if they will require any assistance in the event of a fire evacuation.
5. Public areas - general (internal)
Access around the public areas of our hotels will generally be by means of level access, incorporating the use of access ramps where necessary.
Where level access around the public areas is not possible, due to the design or layout of the building, alternative access arrangements will have been made. These may include the use of platform or passenger lifts or an alternative access route to the area concerned.
For reasons of fire safety, the circulation corridors of our hotels are subdivided at regular intervals by self-closing, fire resisting doors.
6. Bars and restaurants
Some of our hotels have integral bars and restaurants. Whereas others are located next to a separate restaurant building.
The separate restaurant buildings referred to above may be owned and operated by either Whitbread Group PLC or a third party. Where the restaurant is owned or operated by a third party Whitbread Group PLC have no control over, and cannot accept responsibility for, the facilities and services offered.
All Premier Inn hotels with integral bars and restaurants, and all Whitbread Group PLC restaurants, have accessible toilet facilities. These toilets are provided with grab rails, adequate transfer space, accessible sinks with lever taps and emergency alarm pull cords.
Large print menus and portable induction loops are available in our UK restaurants. Our Team Members will also be happy to take guests through the menu options if requested.
Table service is provided in many of our restaurants. Where this is not standard practice we will be happy to provide this on request.
In restaurants where breakfast is provided by means of a self service buffet, our Team Members will be happy to provide assistance upon request.
A range of seating options is provided throughout our bars and restaurants, offering a reasonable degree of choice and flexibility.
Many of the televisions in our bar areas can be set to display subtitles and these can be displayed upon request.
7. Meeting, function and conference rooms
Some of our hotels have meeting room facilities. These hotels are provided with accessible toilets. Portable hearing loops are available for use in the meeting room(s).
If you wish to book a meeting room we strongly recommend that you discuss your requirements with the hotel direct.
A very small number of our hotels have function and/or conference rooms for hire. Please notify the function or conference organisers in advance if any particular services are required.
8. Bedrooms
All of our hotels have bedrooms designed for use by disabled persons. However, the dimensions and nature of the facilities available in these rooms may differ between hotels depending on factors such as the age, design and layout of the building.
The accessible bedrooms are mostly located close to Reception or a lift lobby. However, due to the design and layout of some buildings, this is not always the case.
All of our accessible bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms (see ‘Bathrooms’ section below for details of these).
The bedrooms are designed to allow wheelchair users adequate space to travel around the room and manoeuvre their wheelchair.
A clear space to allow transfer from a wheelchair to the bed is provided on one side of the bed. In some older hotels, which have smaller rooms, it has been necessary for us to replace the kingsize beds in the accessible bedrooms with standard double beds in order to create a suitable transfer space.
In newer hotels, and in existing hotels where space permits, we have provided 6ft ‘zip & link’ beds. These allow the room to be set up as either a double or twin room, thereby providing maximum flexibility for our guests.
The beds provided in our accessible bedrooms are 480mm or 520mm in height which corresponds to the range in seat height of the majority of wheelchairs and, therefore facilitates transfer between the wheelchair and the bed.
If the beds at the hotel you have opted for have bed heights of 480mm, bed raisers can be provided if requested in advance. Please email pi.accessible@premierinn.com or call us on 0333 0919 817 between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday (calls charged at local rate) where the team will be able to check and action this for you.
Our 520mm beds are unable to be height adjusted but do have sufficient space to allow for a mobile hoist to be used, should this be required. As we are unable to provide mobile hoists, please do bring your own.
All bedrooms are provided with a desk and chair. Where space permits a tub chair and small table are also provided. If during your stay you would like the bedroom furniture rearranged, or an item of furniture removed or provided, please contact Reception and we will do our utmost to assist.
Accessible storage facilities are provided in all bedrooms
The flooring in bedrooms is short pile carpet.
Televisions with a remote control are provided in all bedrooms. These televisions have the facility to display subtitles.
The entrance doors to accessible bedrooms are fitted with wide angle door viewers (spy holes) at both seated and standing levels.
All accessible bedrooms are provided with emergency assistance alarms.
Fire evacuation procedures are displayed on the back of the bedroom door. Guests are reminded to inform Reception if they would require any assistance in the event of a fire evacuation.
Vibrating pillow pads are available in our UK and Ireland hotels to alert guests who are deaf or hearing impaired in the event of a fire. Additional strobe lights in the pillow pads are available in our UK hotels.
In accordance with Premier Inn policy, all of our hotel bedrooms are No Smoking.
9. Bathrooms
All of our accessible bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms, with wide entry doors for ease of access.
The dimensions of these bathrooms provide adequate turning space for a standard wheelchair.
The toilet in the bathroom is provided with grab rails.
The majority of our bathrooms are fitted with shallow baths, with the bath rim at the same height as the majority of wheelchair seats (480mm), and grab rails around the bath. These aid transfer from a wheelchair to the bath.
Wet room facilities are also available in some of the accessible bedrooms in our newer, and recently refurbished, hotels. These wet rooms have a level access shower rather than a shallow bath. If the use of a wet room is particularly important to you, we strongly recommend that you check availability with the hotel at the time of booking. For details of Premier Inn’s future plans regarding the provision of wet rooms please see the ‘Future Plans’ section below.
All accessible bathrooms are fitted with accessible sinks, with lever taps.
Soap is provided in soap dispensers.
All accessible bathrooms are provided with an emergency assistance pull cord.
Bathroom floors are of a non-slip material.
Bath mats are available from Reception upon request.
10. Additional information
Assistance dogs are welcome at all Premier Inn hotels and Whitbread Group PLC restaurants.
All Premier Inn Team Members receive disability awareness training.
In some of our hotels, where there are accessible bedrooms above the ground floor, the fire evacuation procedure may involve wheelchair users being directed to a safe refuge in the first instance. Evacuation chairs are available in these hotels to assist in the evacuation of guests should this become necessary.
Unfortunately, Premier Inn cannot offer personal care. Where personal care is required we recommended that guests contact their own local social services who may be able to advise them of approved care services local to the hotel.
Should you require assistance during your stay please contact Reception and our Team Members will be happy to do all that they can to assist.
11. Contact information
Address:
Premier Inn
Central Reservations
Chiswell Court,
Houghton Hall Business Park
Porz Avenue, Dunstable,
Bedfordshire, LU5 5FT
Telephone: Central Reservations can be contacted on 0333 003 8101*. Contact telephone numbers for individual hotels can be found on the Premier Inn website.
Call costs charged at the local rate, plus any additional charges from your phone operator.
Email: For specific enquiries, contact us at pi.accessible@premierinn.com or call us on 0333 0919 817 between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday (calls charged at local rate).
Website: For general enquiries, or to provide customer feedback, please visit the ‘Contact us’ section of our website at premierinn.com
Bookings: Bookings can be made via our website, by calling Central Reservations or with the hotel direct.
12. Future plans
In all of our new build hotels and extensions 50% of the accessible bedrooms will incorporate a wet room, with the other 50% having shallow, accessible baths. This will offer greater flexibility for our guests and will be in accordance with best practice recommended in the relevant British Standard.
As part of our ongoing refurbishment programme, we are also looking to convert half of our existing accessible bathrooms to wet rooms where the size, layout and suitability of the hotel allow.
Premier Inn are committed to making reasonable adjustments to our hotels in order that, so far as is reasonably practicable, we can approximate the access enjoyed by disabled people to that enjoyed by the rest of the public. We intend to continue investing in this area in order to further improve the facilities available across our hotel estate.