Premier Inn Weymouth Hotel

The Premier Inn Weymouth is situated in an enormous asphalt parking lot shared with a fast-casual restaurant, a supermarket, and office buildings. The structure has a plain stucco exterior with cream brick accents. Automated glass doors lead to the lobby, which has a tile-and-carpeted floor and a dark-brown wood reception desk backed by a wall in deep purple, the chain's signature color. There's lobby seating on gray vinyl furniture against a backdrop of a photo mural of Dorset's famed limestone cliffs. A few arcade games are nearby. Just outside the building is Beefeater Restaurant, a pub-like place with red brick walls, an open kitchen under pendant lights, bar seating on upholstered stools, and blond-wood tables with gray wingback chairs. Although business travelers stay here too, the hotel is more popular with cyclists, golfers, families, and couples exploring Dorset's vivid natural landscape. 

The Premier Inn Weymouth, in the Gateway Business Park, is located in the southwest England county of Dorset, known for its limestone cliffs, verdant countryside, and the English Channel. There are no freeways here, but there is a network of highways (A roads) for drivers. The train stops at Weymouth, a 10-minute walk from the hotel, on the South Western Main Line. Trains from London Waterloo station take two hours and 40 minutes. From the hotel, it's a three-minute drive to the sea. It's a seven-minute drive to Sandworld, a quirky sculpture festival held from March to October. The Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park and Tower is a nine-minute drive away. It's a 13-minute drive to The Nothe, a 19th-century coastal defense beside Weymouth Harbour. Bournemouth Airport, serving 36 destinations, is a 56-minute drive from the hotel.

Rooms at the Premier Inn Weymouth are plain and practical. The floors are carpeted in a mottled plum hue, and the modestly sized windows have sheer curtains and purple drapes to block the light. Some guests complain that the walls -- painted an off-white -- are thin enough to hear toilets flushing and footsteps in adjacent rooms. The beds are outfitted in white linens, with purple cloth headboards and throws. All rooms come with kettles and small light-wood desks and chairs, and some have pull-out sofas for extra guests. Free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs are standard, and ironing boards and irons are available but must be requested. Upper-floor rooms in the back have views of the sea; otherwise the views are of the business park and its sprawling parking lots. Bathrooms have high-hat lights mounted over the sinks and a fair bit of counter space, plus rainfall shower/tub combos. Hairdryers and electric towel warmers --  particularly handy for chilly seaside days -- are nice extras. 

The biggest perk at the Premier Inn Weymouth is that kids 15 and under stay and eat free at the on-site restaurant, Beefeater. There is also an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, but it's not included in room rates. There are magazines in the lobby, vending machines, and a few arcade games for when days are too rainy for outdoor exploration. A safe is kept at the reception desk and ironing boards and irons are available on request. The hotel also offers free Wi-Fi, free parking, and a free park-and-ride option into the town of Weymouth.