Premier Inn Glasgow Newton Mearns (M77 J4)

“Lovely hotel let down by poor customer service”

We stayed here whilst attending a gig in Glasgow so we didn't spend much time in the room (which was lovely, well located, clean, modern, comfortable beds and air con) but felt our experience was really let down by the lack of customer service. The lady at reception both at check in and check out … more

We stayed here whilst attending a gig in Glasgow so we didn't spend much time in the room (which was lovely, well located, clean, modern, comfortable beds and air con) but felt our experience was really let down by the lack of customer service. The lady at reception both at check in and check out was not friendly, we waited too long for someone to come to the desk, apparently she knew we were there but didnt appear and then when she did, she was more interrogating than welcoming. At check out there was no niceties, she just barked the question of what room were we in. We booked a time for breakfast and when we went down (half way through the servicing times) there was only sausage, bacon, beans and eggs available, none of the usual Premier Inn options (black pudding, mushrooms, hash browns and tomatoes) pretty poor customer service all round.

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“Premier Inn Glasgow Newton Mearns – Comfortable room, but avoid The Social restaurant and bar”

The room itself was comfortable, clean and perfectly adequate for our stay. One thing to be aware of, however, is that your room won't be serviced, and the beds won't be made, unless you specifically arrange this with reception. It felt more like a motel than a full-service hotel. On our first even… more

The room itself was comfortable, clean and perfectly adequate for our stay. One thing to be aware of, however, is that your room won't be serviced, and the beds won't be made, unless you specifically arrange this with reception. It felt more like a motel than a full-service hotel. On our first evening, we decided to eat in The Social, the restaurant/bar attached to the hotel. When we asked at reception if we could have dinner there, we were told that bookings were normally required. The receptionist kindly went to ask if they could fit us in and returned saying she had "managed to squeeze us in." We assumed it must be extremely busy. Imagine our surprise when we walked into a restaurant containing just two other people, who weren't even eating – they were only having drinks. In hindsight, that should have been the first warning sign. The menu sounded very appealing, and the four of us were looking forward to a nice meal. After waiting around 45 minutes, our food finally arrived. During that time, we had a clear view of the open kitchen. It was fascinating, although not in a good way, watching the "chef" prepare meal after meal by heating boil-in-the-bag rice and sauces in pans of water, microwaving bao buns, snipping open packets and pouring everything onto plates. Very little appeared to involve any actual cooking. The poor man must be exhausted after a shift spent opening packets and arranging pre-prepared ingredients. The prices, however, certainly suggest freshly prepared restaurant-quality food. Unfortunately, what arrived didn’t quite match expectations. It wasn't terrible enough to send back because we were hungry and tired, but it certainly wasn't worth anything like the prices being charged. As it was getting late, we decided to stay for a drink rather than go elsewhere. My son and daughter-in-law took their four-year-old upstairs to bed at around 9.35 pm, with my son planning to come back down afterwards to join us. We ordered two drinks and only after paying were told they were the last orders. I looked at my watch – it was just 9.44 pm. The receptionist, who also served us drinks at the bar, asked whether we had enjoyed our meal. As we still had another two nights to stay, I didn't want to be rude. After a long pause I simply replied, "It filled a gap." She pressed further, explaining that they had a new chef and that they needed feedback. I repeated, "Let's just leave it at 'it filled a gap.'" I also thought, but didn't say to her, that I didn't think the quality of the food had anything to do with the chef. There isn't much anyone can do to improve food that consists largely of boil-in-the-bag rice, packet sauces and microwaved items, apart from perhaps boiling the water faster. Just a few minutes later, at around 9.50 pm, another couple came in hoping to have a drink. They stood waiting at the bar until the chef walked out and simply said it was closed and to check with reception. After finishing our drinks, we met up with our son and walked across the road to the Hungry Horse pub. The difference was remarkable. We received a warm welcome, there was a lovely atmosphere, people were enjoying proper meals, the food being served looked excellent and the prices were considerably cheaper than those at The Social. Needless to say, we didn't return to The Social for either dinner or drinks during the rest of our stay. We did have breakfast there because it had been included with our room booking. That's another story altogether, but this review is already long enough! Would I stay here again? Possibly, but only because the room itself was clean and comfortable. If you choose this Premier Inn, I'd strongly recommend making alternative arrangements for food and drinks. The Hungry Horse is literally a two-minute walk across the road, serves breakfast from 9.00 am, has a far better atmosphere and, from what we experienced, offers much better value for money. As I write this, we're on our way to another Premier Inn in Blackpool. I sincerely hope that what we experienced in Newton Mearns is not representative of the Premier Inn chain as a whole.

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