"This review primarily focuses on the staff, location and amenities at Premier Inn Birmingham City Centre (Exchange Square). I have raised the other issues regarding our stay directly with Guest Relations, and the outcome of that complaint will be reflected in a later update.
The hotel is in a convenient and fairly pleasant part of the city centre. It is within easy reach of the Bullring and other central Birmingham attractions, without feeling too far away from anything. There is a restaurant attached to the hotel, while Greggs, the Co-op and Londis are all just around the corner, which is particularly convenient for drinks, snacks and anything you may have forgotten.
The Premier Plus rooms also offer some worthwhile extras, including a coffee machine, kettle, coffee pods, tea bags, milk and two bottles of water in the fridge. Some of these items were missing from my room, but a member of the reception team personally delivered them to us. That was a genuinely thoughtful touch and another example of the helpful service we received from the team.
Unfortunately, my interaction with Charlotte Prince fell below the standard of customer service I would expect. I found her manner quite dismissive and condescending, which made an already difficult situation more frustrating. I hope she takes this feedback on board and considers how her approach and communication may come across to guests, as I would be reluctant to deal with her again based on this experience.
On the other hand, when we returned later, we had the pleasure of dealing with Will, Sally and Nabs. They clearly work very well together and significantly improved our overall impression of the hotel.
Will, in particular, went above and beyond to help resolve the issues we were experiencing, for which I am genuinely appreciative. He handled everything with professionalism, confidence and more than a little charm, making a stressful situation much easier—and the interaction particularly memorable. Unfortunately, he was not on shift when we checked out, which was genuinely disappointing. If he sees this: hi Will, it was an absolute pleasure meeting you, and I certainly wouldn’t complain about crossing paths again. Thank you!
Nabs was also brilliant throughout. He was consistently polite, approachable and helpful, particularly when sorting out our key cards and arranging for the room to be restocked. Nothing seemed like too much trouble, and his friendly manner made us feel listened to and properly looked after. His assistance was genuinely appreciated.
Sally and Latia were equally friendly, professional and helpful, and their positive attitudes contributed to making the remainder of our stay much less stressful.
Will, Nabs, Sally and Latia are a genuine credit to the Premier Inn brand, and I trust they will all go far in their development. Will, particularly, appears very well suited to a future management role because of the calm, confident and effective way he deals with problems as they arise.
Overall, the hotel is reasonably priced for a city-centre location, particularly considering the convenient setting and the additional amenities offered with a Premier Plus room. Despite the other issues being handled separately by Guest Relations, the positive members of staff mentioned above made a significant difference to our stay.
Once again, thank you to everyone mentioned who helped make a stressful stay considerably better."
