Premier Inn St Helens (A580/ East Lancs)

Most dreadful hotel ever. Do not stay! Awful place. Not clean and rats/bush’s everywhere

If you're looking for a hotel that turns a simple booking into an unexpected game of Accommodation Roulette, then congratulations—you've found it. I'd booked two family rooms (each with a double bed and a single bed) a week in advance. Simple enough, you'd think! On arrival, however, we were handed keys for one family room and one twin room. Apparently, at OYO, a confirmed booking is more of a polite suggestion than an actual reservation. When I pointed out that this wasn't what I'd booked, the receptionist—who had literally just started her shift—called the previous member of staff. To be fair to her, she genuinely tried to help. Unfortunately, the man on the phone had clearly graduated from the Customer Service School of Brick Walls. His helpful response? "It's not my fault." Well... perhaps not, but it's certainly not mine either! The reality was obvious: they'd double-booked one of our family rooms and hoped we'd quietly accept a cheaper, unsuitable replacement. Their grand solution? A separate double room. Which meant my son and I—who'd booked a weekend away together—ended up sleeping in different rooms. Exactly the opposite of why you book family rooms in the first place. Overall, if OYO stands for anything, it should be "Oh, You're Overbooked." Or perhaps just "Oh No." ⭐☆☆☆☆ I'd happily stay in a Travelodge car park before I'd trust this hotel with another booking.

I’ve spent almost a month trying to resolve a straightforward issue, and the customer service has been extremely disappointing. During that time, I’ve contacted the hotel by phone and email, OYO customer support and Booking.com. Despite all of that, nobody has taken ownership of the issue. Ironically, the only person who seemed to genuinely care was a member of the reception team. They called me twice in one day, apologised for the way the matter had been handled and acknowledged that the level of customer service I’d received wasn’t acceptable. They assured me the issue had been escalated to the hotel manager and that I would receive a call back. That call never came. Since then, the hotel manager has been copied into multiple email chains and has still not responded. Instead, I’ve continued to receive generic emails directing me back to OYO, despite already contacting them. I’ve even had support tickets marked as closed without anyone contacting me or resolving the issue. I appreciate that mistakes happen, but what has been most disappointing is the complete lack of ownership and communication. A customer should not have to spend a month chasing multiple organisations for a response, especially after being promised a call back that never materialised. Based on this experience, I would not stay here again.