Oh, wow.
These are the words I never expect to say when I walk into my room at the Premier Inn.
Yet these are the words I say. Yes, I am as surprised as you are.
I know Premier Inn is renowned for being a hotel chain that consistently delivers clean, comfortable rooms (it regularly appears on the podium in Which?’s annual hotel chain survey, as we’ve reported), but here it is, blowing me away.
And for the affordable price of £80 (although breakfast is not included in this rate).
MailOnline travel editor Ted Thornhill checks into the Premier Inn Gatwick North (above). He describes it as “a Borg spaceship from the Star Trek universe”.
Premier Inn Gatwick North is easily accessible from Gatwick train station – just hop on the robotic shuttle train, Ted reveals. Pictured above is the hotel’s self-check-in area.
The property in question? Premier Inn Gatwick North, which I booked as an emergency measure to ensure a few hours of sleep before catching a 6am EasyJet flight to Toulon-Hyeres Airport in the south of France (the magical airport gateway to Provence, but that’s for another article, another day).
It was either an airport hotel or a two in the morning taxi from my home in South London.
Considering the £20 train fare to Gatwick Station from London Victoria, both options are similar in cost, so I opt for an extra two or three hours of sleep.
I disembark the train at Gatwick Station and board the robotic transport line to the North Terminal.
Ted books the hotel “as an emergency measure to ensure a few hours of sleep before catching a 6am EasyJet flight to Toulon-Hyeres airport in the south of France.”
Premier Inn regularly appears on the podium in the annual Which? hotel chain survey. Above, the Premier Inn Gatwick North restaurant
The Premier Inn is right next door and from the outside it doesn’t exactly conjure up scenes of a restful night’s sleep. It looks like a Borg spaceship from the Star Trek universe: a giant, menacing cube.
And inside, while there is no hive mind to fight, there is a swarm of slightly worrying activity.
The place is packed with customers, huge suitcases are being moved around, the bar is packed with people and there is a queue to get into the restaurant.
This is all good news for Premier Inn’s coffers and, although I like hotels to have a lively atmosphere, I have a 4am wake-up call set on my phone and fear I’m in for a night of rowdiness. I imagine shouting in the middle of the night, slamming doors and all sorts of pre-holiday fuss.
Ted’s room is on the 10th floor of the hotel and costs £80 a night. He describes it as “very clean and comfortable”.
Upstairs is Ted’s bathroom, which he says is “absolutely spotless.”
Fortunately, this will not happen.
I check in via a touchscreen module that issues a keycard (very easy, with cheerful staff on hand to help out technophobes) for a room at the top of the building.
Turns out I hit the jackpot.
My room on the 10th floor is not only very clean and comfortable, according to the Which? surveys we report on, but it also has (and I say this without fear of exaggeration) spectacular views.
Ted describes the view (above) from his room as “spectacular.”
Ted notes that “beyond the drab airport buildings” below his room lies “the fascinating West Sussex countryside” and (to the left) the runway.
Well, below is a vast multi-storey car park and several drab airport buildings, but beyond that is the mesmerising rolling West Sussex countryside and to the left, the runway.
The last time I checked into an airport hotel I had a view of broken glass and flying, so this is definitely an improvement in terms of the view.
And apart from the wifi (even the £5 “superfast” one is awful), the rest of the amenities are pretty good too. The bed is plush, there’s an absolutely spotless private bathroom with a bath and shower, and Premier Inn has added a TV and a cosy armchair to its inventory.
And, wow, it’s deathly silent.