Premier Plus vs Standard Room - read our expert guide
to help you decide if it is worth paying the difference

In recent years Premier Inn have been experimenting with giving customers the option to upgrade from a standard Premier Inn room to a so called 'Premier Room' which adds in a few extras which they believe customers will be willing to pay a premium price for.

We recently booked a two night stay to test drive these rooms and you can read our full, honest Premier Plus room review here, it was not what we were expecting!

Travelodge has been doing a similar thing with their own brand of SuperRooms, so it was inevitable that both budget hotel brands would go down a similar path.

Premier Inn offers the Premier Plus rooms in about a quarter of their hotels, this equates to roughly 200 hotels in the UK. You tend to find that older city centre hotels are getting upgraded with Premier Plus rooms added to the top floors and any new build hotels are getting them by default. Ring road and out of town Premier Inns are unlikely to offer them. You can see the full list of hotels offering Premier Plus rooms here.

Interestingly you will nearly always find that it is the standard rooms that all sell out first in a Premier Inn, meaning that if you are booking close to your actual stay date your only option may be to book the Premier Plus room and pay the premium.

How much extra do you pay for a Premier Plus room vs a standard room?
We checked prices at different times of the year and across many different Premier Inn hotels and found on average you pay 10% more to upgrade to a Premier Plus room.

nespresso coffee machine

Premier Plus Room

Premier Plus Ensuite

The table below lists all the differences between a Premier Inn Room and a Standard Room

Premier Plus Room	Standard Room
located on top floors	located on lower floors
accommodate two adults	can accommodate families (two adults + two children under 16)
kingsize bed (not currently guaranteed)	kingsize or double
ultimate WiFi service included	£5 per day for ultimate WiFi ​(standard WiFi free)
mini fridge	no fridge
complimentary bottled still & sparkling water	no complimentary water
nespresso Coffee machine / tea tray / chocolates	standard tea / instant coffee tray
desk with comfy chair	standard desk and chair
armchair with footstool / separate bench stool / movable bedside table which doubles as a chair meal table	no armchair, footstool or bench stool
iron + ironing Board	no Ironing facilities
wardrobe + curtain pelmet LED lighting	unlit wardrobe/curtain pelmet
air conditioning	air conditioning not guaranteed
USB charging by bed	USB charging normally by desk area
bespoke artwork on walls	standard artwork
rainfall shower - some with a separate handset	standard fixed showerhead
upgraded complimentary toiletries ​(shampoo/conditioner/hand gel)	standard toiletries (body/hair all in one gel)
carpet / bathroom floor and general room decor has a lighter modern feel	standard decor - still very nice!
Not currently available as an accessible room	Available as accessible and family room options

So do the differences make it worth paying an additional 10%?
​Well that really depends on your personal preferences. The bulk of guests staying in a Premier Inn are looking for a good quality consistent experience with a comfortable functional room and that is exactly what the brand is expert at. Premier Inn is a bit like the Mcdonalds of hotel chains, now the challenge is to persuade some of those guests to upgrade for a few extras...

We think the stand out pluses for the Premier Plus grade room in descending order of value are...

• Free Ultimate Wifi (worth £5 per 24hr) and that is mainly because the standard Premier Inn WiFi is pretty poor.
• Fridge with some water - a real useful bonus and enables guests to keep their own beer/wine nice and cool or enjoy fresh milk for their tea/coffee.
• Rainfall shower and some of the Premier Plus although not all come with a separate handset on the shower which is a definite bonus for washing long hair etc and a constant grumble from guests using the standard room ensuite with a fixed showerhead.
• Comfortable armchair and footstool - really nice to be able to sit in comfort without having to lay on the bed.
• Nespresso Coffee machine - nice touch if you like real coffee.
• USB charging by the bed - definitely useful but really just highlights the fact that standard rooms should not lack this basic requirement for guests to be able to charge thier mobile next to thier bed rather than on the other side of the room.
• Guaranteed air con - a definite plus for summer stays but most standard Premier Inn rooms also feature this.
• King size bed - again although guaranteed in the Premier Plus room they are pretty much the norm across all the standard rooms now as well. 
• Ironing facilities - a definite plus if you are staying for an event or for a few days with a smart function to attend - note you can always loan an iron/board by asking at reception if you are staying in a standard room.

The remaining bonuses such as LED curtain pelmet and wardrobe lights, bespoke artwork on the wall and different/better toiletries are nice but unlikely to swing a decision on whether or not to stay in a more expensive room.

It is worth noting that currently Premier Inn have not got accessible rooms available as the Premier Plus upgrade, this is in part due to the fact that Premier Plus rooms are located at the top floor levels of the hotels, thus benefiting from far views and lower noise levels/disturbance but this is not ideal for guests who may have impaired mobility and makes them only accessible via the lifts for such guests.

What does the Standard Premier Inn Room offer guests?

• Luxury bed, usually King size
• Hypnos Premier Inn Mattress
• Lightweight but warm duvet
• Choice of firm and soft pillows
• Stylish ensuite bathroom with power shower (and bath in most rooms)
• Hairdryer
• Freeview TV offering up to 80 channels
• Free Wi-Fi 
• Wardrobe space with vanity area
• Tea and coffee making facilities
• Desk with chair
• Blackout curtains
• Toiletries (soap/shower gel)
• Loan of ironing facilities available on request from reception

Premier Inn offers several different room types which vary by size, comfort and accessibility.

​This website is not affiliated or endorsed by the Premier Inn brand