Premier Inn doesn’t have a loyalty scheme. No points to collect, no status tiers, no free night materialising after your twelfth stay. Unlike the supermarket loyalty schemes where there’s always something to optimise, Premier Inn keeps things simple on that front. I accepted that going in on a recent stay. What I wasn’t expecting was to end up squinting at the food deals and reaching for my phone to do the sums.
The Breakfast Deal
The base offer is straightforward. Any adult paying £10.99 for the full unlimited breakfast gets up to two children eating for free alongside them.
That £10.99 is worth acknowledging before you factor in anything else. Hotels have a well established habit of presenting a continental buffet at thirteen pounds as though it’s perfectly reasonable. Under eleven for the full cooked works, in a hotel setting, is a fair price on its own terms.
Add two children eating for free and it becomes a genuinely good deal.
The honest caveat: if you’re travelling without kids, none of that changes what you’re paying for your breakfast. You’re left with a decent offer at a fair price, but the deal doesn’t really earn its stripes until there are children involved.
The Meal Deal Upgrade
Here’s where the numbers get more interesting.
Premier Inn offers an upgrade to a meal deal at £20.99 per adult: unlimited breakfast, a two course evening meal and a drink. The two children free for breakfast still applies. I’d call it deal stacking, which might be a generous framing, but the arithmetic genuinely rewards the label.
There’s a real caveat here too. You’re committing to eating two of your day’s meals in the hotel. If you’re in a city with a list of restaurants you want to try, this probably isn’t the move. If you’ve had a long day of travelling with children and the most attractive thing in the world is not having to make another decision, it starts to look very sensible indeed.
Does the Maths Actually Work?
For a family of one adult and two children, here’s what the evening looks like on paper:
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Adult meal deal (unlimited breakfast, two course dinner, drink) | £20.99 |
| Two course dinner for two children at £6.50 each | £13.00 |
| Breakfast for two children | Free |
| Total | £33.99 |
One adult. Breakfast and a two course dinner with a drink. Two children fed at breakfast for nothing and at £6.50 each for dinner.
For £33.99, that is genuinely difficult to argue with.
What’s the Food Actually Like?
I went in apprehensive, which felt like the appropriate stance. A deal that looks excellent on paper and delivers mediocre food is one of the more demoralising experiences going, and hotel restaurants from major chains carry a certain reputation.
It was actually very good. Nothing that would challenge a decent gastropub, but proper food, properly cooked, with no unpleasant surprises. Everyone at the table left satisfied, which is all you can realistically ask for at this price point.
So, Is It Worth It?
Ten out of ten for value is not a verdict I give lightly. For families in particular, the meal deal stacks up in a way that is genuinely hard to find at this price. The food quality backs it up, which was the part I wasn’t entirely sure about until I’d sat down and eaten it.
Premier Inn won’t win any restaurant awards. As a fuss free, honest value option for families who want dinner and breakfast sorted without any drama, it earns its place.
One more thing worth doing before you book: check whether the stay qualifies for cashback through a site like Quidco or TopCashback. It takes about two minutes and even a few pounds back on the room rate makes a good deal slightly better. Most people don’t think to check.