Dartmouth Premier Inn: A rocky check-in, a brilliant night's sleep and a warm welcome

As with any new building, there are going to be a few things to iron out. Although perhaps avoid using the phrase “teething problems” around the staff. They have heard it enough already.

Staffing has yet to stabilise, stock availability has not always been up to scratch, and a leak has damaged and temporarily closed off some rooms. During my visit, back-to-back storms also brought an unwelcome collection of technical failures. But if there was one thing that stood out, it was not what went wrong, but how the staff responded when it did.

On arrival, I was greeted by a warm, welcoming lobby and a friendly face. Two self-check-in machines sit to the left of the entrance, with a manned bar and large, open-plan lounge and dining area to the right.

The décor follows the, “Instagram hospitality” aesthetic. It is clean, smart and contemporary. It may not be to everybody’s taste, and I would be interested to see how it fares in 15 or 20 years, but it certainly fits current fashion.

Before checking in, I registered my car using the digital machine beside the entrance. Parking costs £4 for 24 hours, with the hotel advertising 96 spaces, including five accessible bays and 10 electric vehicle charging points.

The hotel has clearly been designed with contactless convenience in mind, although a member of staff was available to help anyone who needed it. I hope that assistance remains a permanent fixture. Not simply because I increasingly appreciate human interaction in an otherwise rather artificial world, but because, as I discovered, technology has a habit of going wrong.

Having opted to pay on arrival, the check-in system crashed and reset as I was making payment. It happened again, this time after the machine had apparently approved taking the money from my bank card. I was therefore insistent on checking my online banking before attempting another payment. Thankfully, the staff were entirely understanding.

We then tried a manual check-in, until we discovered the till was also playing up.

I visited on Saturday, October 24 – coincidentally, and definitely not by design, the weekend of the Dartmouth Food Festival. Unfortunately, Storm Austen had other ideas. The rain was coming in sideways on arrival, so the warm but open lobby was a welcome refuge. It also went some way to explaining the technical difficulties.

Eventually, I was checked in. Manager Jamie offered me a complimentary drink while I waited and compensated the breakfast supplement as an apology. The whole process took around 20 minutes, but the staff approached the situation with candour, humour and humility. It was a reassuring introduction.

The room itself was clean, my only criticism was a tea-stained teaspoon that could have done with a little extra polishing. A minor detail, perhaps, but one that some guests might reasonably find disappointing, beyond that, I struggled to find fault.

I stayed in a family room, comprising a double bed, single sofa bed and pull-out single bed. With all three in use, I imagine the room would feel rather cramped. However, the small table and chairs are removed when the additional beds are set up, but this leaves little alternative seating. For a smaller party, however, the space was perfectly comfortable.

After checking out, I confessed my undercover mission to Jamie, who kindly showed me around some of the other rooms, alongside housekeeping manager Josh. There is a range of accessible accommodation, with some rooms offering walk-in showers and others baths. Lowered furniture, safety cords and larger spaces for guests who may need wheelchairs or other equipment.

The Premier Plus rooms are the step up from standard accommodation. They include a stocked mini-fridge, improved refreshments, a coffee machine and upgraded furnishings. The standard rooms have basic tea and coffee facilities, but the additional touches, including biscuits, were something I admittedly missed. Then again, cutting back on those little luxuries is presumably part of how the company maintains its budget-friendly prices.

Personally, I could see the Premier Plus rooms being worth the relatively modest additional cost. They feel warmer and more homely.

The mattresses are extraordinarily comfortable. So much so that Premier Inn has started selling them to the public However, whoever designed them deserves a pay rise, because I genuinely considered booking another night simply to enjoy another sleep. It was, without question, the best night’s rest I have had in a very long time.

The rooms are also thoughtfully equipped, with conveniently positioned standard plug sockets alongside USB and USB-C outlets.

Breakfast was less of a triumph. This is where I think many budget hotels fall short. Self-service breakfasts can leave hot food sitting on heated plates until it is past its best. Arriving at 10am, I found some options were already running low. Breakfast is served between 7am and 11am, with checkout at midday – a welcome arrangement for night-owls who do not particularly enjoy early starts.

The dining area was clean, tables were cleared promptly and staff were attentive. The food was cooked as well as could reasonably be expected, but it simply was not to my taste.

There were vacancies in both the kitchen and housekeeping teams when I visited, with Jamie and Josh keen to recruit locally. Despite the shortfall, the atmosphere among the team was one of the most impressive parts of the experience.

On my first evening, a member of staff stopped to ask how I was settling in and whether I wanted dinner. Colleagues acknowledged guests as they passed, making the place feel welcoming rather than transactional. I also noticed management thanking departing staff at the end of their shifts. If the team can deliver that level of hospitality while understaffed, there is real potential once recruitment settles down.

The hotel is within walking distance of the park-and-ride and sufficiently removed from the town centre. However, it is quite a hill, and the bus stops at around 6pm, making an evening exploring the town’s excellent restaurants less convenient unless you are prepared to walk, drive or take a taxi back.

My Saturday night booking, made the day before, cost £99, with breakfast an additional £11.99 and parking £4. Booking earlier would have saved around £20 but, based on two people sharing, that is a competitive price in an area where accommodation can be expensive, particularly during busy weekends. There is also no minimum-stay requirement, which is a welcome advantage over some local hotels and guest houses.

What you see is what you get with Premier Inn. It is not the Ritz, and if you book a standard room, you should not expect all the bells and whistles. There are some things to improve, like having a plain cider available at the bar and getting the staffing levels up to allow non-guest dining.

But what Dartmouth’s new hotel has already got right is arguably more important: its people. The staff made me feel welcome, dealt with problems honestly and went out of their way to turn an imperfect experience into a positive.

There is plenty of potential here, not just as somewhere to rest your head, but as a community asset.