Premier Inn Barnsley - Dearne Valley

Pretty poor overall. Massively understaffed and the rooms are in dire need of a makeover.
The staff were friendly but you could see they were stressed out from being so understaffed - literally running from reception to the resturant and back. They were working way harder than they get paid for... premier inn - take note.

My room was in a terrible state. The ceiling was coming down in the bathroom at multple points and a previous occupier had put their fist through the plasterboard wall near the thermostat... probably because the heating wouldn't turn on...

Coffee machine was broken on both mornings with no real alternatives - still charged the full breakfast fee though.

Tatty communial areas and overall it was a bit of a dive. I kept telling myself it was fine because it was cheap!

Comfortable quiet room, very friendly staff, especially the lady multitasking reception and breakfast duties. Stay spoiled somewhat by my car being broken into overnight in the car park in an attempt to steal the stereo.

Pros:
The staff here are excellent. So friendly and helpful, especially the gentleman on reception when I checked in. He went through everything in detail unprompted and made sure I knew everything before I went to my room.

The room (premier plus) was lovely. The bed was very comfortable as were the chairs for while I was working. Everything was clean and tidy. I love the additional of the coffee machine, mini fridge and little chocolates in this upgrade and very much enjoyed the coffee as I waited for my table reservation.

The evening meal was good and this hotel offers good portion sizes. If you’re staying and want to have a meal in, I’d recommend upgrading to the meal deal as it’s essentially a free starter or drink and drink, depending on what main you choose. I got the burger which was £15.95 on its own so the upgrade of £16 at check-in was worth it.

Cons:
There was a heating issue during my stay. My room was quite cold despite the heating being on and I set it to 25.5 degrees at one point but the air was still not coming through hot. It took until about 2am to get to 21 degrees according to the thermostat so the morning was much more comfortable. During the evening meal, there was an issue with the air in there too which is how I knew my room was not an isolated incident. I didn’t hang around too long in there once I’d eaten as I was quite chilly. It was the same in the morning and the hostess did apologise and say she was sorting it without me having to mention it.

Breakfast
I travel quite a bit and this particular breakfast was a let down compared to other premier inn ones I’ve had unfortunately. I cut into a sausage and oil came out and the eggs were very greasy too (more than you’d expect from a fried egg). I only ate half before leaving it. Some of the bread was also stale but this could be because it had been a few hours since the start of service, but I picked up a few slices before I found one not so hard.

Overall, I’d stay here again because most of the issues would likely have been addressed and maybe it was a bad morning for breakfasts but it’s not the best experience I’ve had. Maybe I’ll just pack some extra layers, just in case!

Two of us arrived and had booked a double room. Only one towel was left for us. There was dirt everywhere, most of the walls appeared to have had large insects squashed against them and the remnants left on the wall. . Most dangerous though, there was a patch of black mould on the wall that had just been painted over, but had come straight through again. Not any good for guests with respiratory disease! Dust, fluff and sweet papers under the bed and couch - not been cleaned for ages!! No socket next to the headboard, so could not use my CPAP machine as my lead was not long enough. Bulbs out in the ceiling lighting. No room or hotel maintenance seems to go on here. Random banging sound every few minutes through the night. Bed also is very high, you nearly need a step ladder to get on it. Would not stay here again. Holes in the bathroom wall. They only seem interested in catering for workmen, judging by the poorly parked vans and Lorry’s all over the car park, which also had random tables, road signs and roadwork furniture all over it.

Great beds, very clean, excellent value.
Food choice and quality excellent as is the staff ...recommend sea bass. The lady waiting, attending the bar, breakfast and dinner was so friendly and helpful.

Amazing staff on Tuesday wensday and Thursday night as bissy as it was your did the job to a high standard well done we will be bk 👍👍

Excellent location.
The public car park is accessible by lift from the hotel and the £5 charge for overnight parking is reasonable.
The rooms are in need of upating especially the bathroom but everything was clean.
There was quite a wait for a table at breakfast and although the hot food is made to order, all of our eggs were over-cooked.
We stayed there to attend a football match at Oakwell Stadium and it was conveniently situated for a relatively easy 20 minute walk.

Trista rum. Bra frukost

Lovely hotel. Clean, friendly staff great location. I stayed in the newer part of the hotel and the room was lovely. The shower was amazing. Loved the lights nice touch.

Our two night stay here was fine but on the Saturday the restaurant was heavingly busy with long waits. It would have been so much worse but for Katy who was the only person taking orders and serving food. She rushed around for several hours. Had she been less friendly and efficient the waits would have been even longer and people would have become annoyed. So thank you Katy. And the probably understaffed kitchen also.

Ameena is a diamond in the hotel. Instantly recognised me, even though I hadn't been for a year. As usual nice place to stay and quiet. First time I had used the restaurant since the conversion from Brewers Fayre.

Will be back at some point

Beccy is fantastic nothing too much trouble. It doesn't matter if she is in reception or covering in restaurant she always has a smile and a friendly word. We will be back as we have family in the area. Thank you.

The bed was comfortable. The bathroom was clean and the shower was a good temperature. The man in reception was courteous and helpful.

On arrival the receptionist was lovely , check in was smooth and no problems .... that was the best thing about the stay . Our room (30) was at the end of a long corridor ( why do PI always put you in a room a far way away when booking online ?) opening the door it was cold ! window open , quickly realised it was to mask the smell of sewage from the Bathroom - which was clean but old .... probably older than my age !! - the green light ( fire alarm or smoke ) was brighter than the Northern lights and I ended up climbing on the unit to put a pillow over it ... to sleep ... In the morning the curtains would not open .. stuck... Not the best stay and would not stay again

Stayed overnight bothways as a journey break a week apart. Not many alternatives around for eating so, fortunately, the Social facility gave an acceptable standard of catering, better than most with Brewers Fayre and Beefeater, with a cooked breakfast to order rather than buffet style.
Usual Premier Inn standard rooms and facilities.
Staff were friendly, particularly Katy in the restaurant, she was a star and they should treasure her. Katy was funny, friendly, and , above all efficient. One of our party had a pill box with them to take some medication, Katy suddenly appeared at her side with a glass of water for her to take the pills with no prompting, very rarely, if ever, had that happen. Well done, Katy, it is little things like that which make a stay just that bit more pleasant and would make us stay again here in preference to others.

You pay for a hotel for the room yes? So you expect it to be clean and at least decent.

Well... The rooms are f***ing disgusting! I wouldn't even pay £10 for the state of the rooms.

My first room stunk of Foist, had mould and was covered in spider webs.

Second room was a SPIDERFEST! And also had a gauge out of the bathroom door!

The receptionist was well mannered. But that's all.

The nearest McDonald's is aproximately a mile away and so is the KFC. With the only food that's walkable being their not cheap but not expensive restraunt.

Even for a stop off for ONE NIGHT. I felt unclean and dirty even once I been in the shower.

Just check if you are booking a “Twin” room that it is for two single beds and not really a family room with a double bed and a sofa/pull-out bed

On arrival was advised that only family room available was one for disabled people, meaning room had no bathtube, but a walk in shower with all the fitted handles, bars and chairs. Light bulbs in the room and shower were so dim, it was way too dark all the time. The floor was squeeking loudly. The noise from the road was way too loud at night. And the worst was the smell. It smelled like medicine of some sort, and it was so strong that after leaving the hotel all the clothes even in the luggage had soked in the smell. Worst stay in Premier Inn to this day.
Review based on our experience only.

Easy to find, very self contained small hotel located on an industrial park. Room quiet and comfortable, food choices very good. If there is any criticism, there is nothing else around so eating in the hotel is pretty much the only option, although this was not a problem for me, the meal deal is good value for money.

Ok if you want to sleep in a sauna and it wasn’t not hot outside so that was not making rooms hotter .
Website says no conditioning in hotel so did not book premier plus but apparently there is so miss sold .
Hardly any staff around and restaurant very basic .