Hub by Premier Inn at Edinburgh Haymarket: hotel review

I'll admit, inner city Premier Inns aren't usually the fodder of travel blogs, their writers usually tending more towards the boutique hotel end of the market (a girl can dream, hey?), but I'm sharing my recent* experience of the Hub by Premier Inn at Edinburgh Haymarket because a) it's something I genuinely think is good and more people should know about, and b) I wish a blog post like this had been out there for me to read before I booked.

(*I say 'recent' -  I stayed there in late July and I'm writing this in October. C'est la vie).

Not a bad view from my room

First of all - meet Hub by Premier Inn. It's a new spin-off hotel chain by Premier Inn, located in city centres and aimed more at budget travellers and those for whom a large room is not a priority. The rooms are notably compact, but the low cost and central location are the benefits.

I was vaguely aware of Hub by Premier Inn when I booked my long-planned solo trip to Edinburgh. A friend who stays in London on a regular basis had recommended the Liverpool Street one, and while I didn't set out to book this particular hotel, it was one of the cheaper options available for my travel dates that didn't look like a complete dive, so I booked myself in.

I had a couple of minor concerns before my stay - at such a low cost, I worried that corners would be cut, specifically, whether bath towels and a hairdryer would be provided in the room. I intended to ring and check before my trip, but never got round to it. No need to worry - both were provided.

The chair, with the desk that pulls out

A couple of days before my arrival, I was sent an email allowing me to check in online. The process was very simple, but would probably be even more handy for international visitors who can provide their passport details in advance, saving time when they physically arrive at the hotel. I then received a text message from the hotel as I whizzed through northern England on a train en-route to Edinburgh, providing me with a reference number. I was a bit nervous about the arrival, as I'd read elsewhere that the check-in is on automated machines, rather than a manned reception desk. Technology and I don't have a great track record, and I had visions of not being able to access my room and being forced to sleep on Edinburgh's streets. Again, my fears were unfounded. Three touch screen check-in machines were waiting for me in the hotel reception, but so too was a friendly member of staff who was only too happy to help.

Under-bed storage

It took just a couple of minutes before I had my keycard in hand and directions to my fourth floor room. Both the hallway where the lift is located and the lift itself require keycard access meaning only guests of the hotel can get in - something of a reassurance as a lone female traveller.

The room itself was a lot sleeker than I expected. The cabin-style double bed was very comfy, although having two people sharing may cause problems, as one would have to climb over the other to get out. Storage comes in the form of a hidey hole under the bed, and a small clothes rail, big enough to hang five or so items. A chair sits next to the floor-ceiling window, and the shelf at the end of the bed extends out to create a writing desk - a bonus I didn't expect for the price.

The bathroom is petite but more than adequate, with a choice of two showers in the glass cubicle - a removable, hosepipe shower head or a fixed, large shower head. Both are very powerful but you can't have both running at the same time - believe me, I tried. Again, if you were travelling in a pair, privacy may be an issue, as the windows and door of the bathroom are (partially frosted) glass.

The wardrobe

Technology is king in the rooms themselves too. The heating, air con and lights are all controlled by a touch panel by the head of the bed, as is the do not disturb sign - simply press a button by the bed and a light goes on outside your door. The entertainment choice is impressive too - as well as regular TV channels, the flatscreen offers a decent choice of on-demand films and TV shows. After a full day exploring every day, it was rather luxurious to come back to a soft bed and on-demand films to watch while my feet recovered from all the walking.

Downstairs in the hotel, there's a bar and restaurant open all day, and a tea and coffee table which guests can help themselves to free of charge at any time, plus plenty of water available. Being out and about all day every day, I didn't get a chance to try the restaurant or bar (plus, I would have felt like a bit of a lemon sitting here alone). That said, there was a friendly atmosphere every time I walked through, so if you were a lone traveller looking to meet people, you wouldn't have too much of a problem.

Handy map of Edinburgh on the wall

Location-wise, the hotel is spot on. It's just a five minute walk from the western end of Princes Street, one of Edinburgh's main tourist roads. The castle is a 15 minute walk away, and Edinburgh Haymarket station is 5 minutes out of town, while Waverley is a 15-20 walk back into town. Once I stepped off my train from London, I didn't need to use any other public transport until I was heading back to London three days later.

In short, if you're looking for a budget hotel, particularly for a city break, where you don't need that much space and will be out of the room most of the day, I can't recommend Hub by Premier Inn highly enough. The rooms are very comfortable, helped along by soft beds, adjustable heating/air con, and lovely powerful showers. Location is excellent for sightseeing, and the TV entertainment system has plenty to keep you busy if you're staying in the hotel - and all for a really great price. If you're travelling in a couple, I'd think carefully about the layout of the bed and that glass bathroom before booking.

The bathroom

Hub by Premier Inn Edinburgh Haymarket. I stayed 28-31 July 2018 and paid £135.50 for a three night stay. At time of writing, there are 10 Hub by Premier Inn hotels dotted across London and Edinburgh, but I'm really hoping they open more in other UK cities soon - it would certainly help me continue visiting a new place every month into 2019.

Disclaimer: I paid for the stay myself, and Hub by Premier Inn had no idea I would be writing this blog post - it is no way affiliated with the company.

What if the only people influencers are influencing is each other?

I have a blog, but I no longer consider myself a blogger - or rather, I don't like to admit to being a blogger.

'Blogging', it seems, has become a bit of a byword for 'blagging', and that's not OK. It's shocking how many people start a blog purely for the 'freebies' they think they'll be reeling in. I digress a bit - this isn't the main point of this post, so don't leave just yet - but working as a journalist in my day job, I've lost count of the number of PRs who tell me they dread working with bloggers due to the demanding and diva-ish reputation they've earned.

In 9 years of blogging, I've only ever had one 'freebie', back in the days when I didn't really understand how the PR/journo business worked - the blogger business wasn't even a thing back then. And I'm OK with that. It's not why I got into blogging. My blog isn't 'commercial' enough for PRs and that's OK too - I'd be worried if it was, although that's only something I've come to realise recently.

There are a few bloggers who I admire - particularly Emily Clarkson and Hannah Gale for their honest, witty and humorous writing, and for keeping it real. If we're talking vloggers, Louise Pentland has to be top of the list. I still miss updates from Gem Fatale, and I'm sure there were a few other old-school blogs that have fallen by the wayside. But bloggers like these are few and far between these days.

Scrolling through Instagram - because heaven forbid you call yourself a blogger in 2018 if you don't have plates spinning on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube as well as, y'know, your actual blog - you can spot an 'influencer' a mile off. Many (not all) have the same identikit photos; seated in a beautiful coffee shop, staring wistfully into the middle distance as they cup their skinny latte, or dressed up to the nines, against a psychedelic street art background, that same unnaturally wistful look on their faces.

I've shared my thoughts on Instagram before. Occasionally, someone stands out -- Hello Miss Jordan, for example. She has a unique style, and whether it's something you like or not, it's something she does very well. But again, influencers as talented as her are few and far between.

The irony is, the only people these 'influencers' seem to be influencing are each other. Because really, have you ever seen someone who didn't consider themselves an 'influencer' getting dressed up in a wholly impractical outfit to pose for hundreds of different photos in front of a pretty wall? No. A normal person might stumble across the wall, take a photo, and go about their day. Yet all it takes is one influencer with a decent-sized following to discover a new gram-worthy *eyeroll* cafe, and you can guarantee hundreds of bloggers and Instagrammers will have visited before the week is out. And that's before you stumble across all the comments reading "Where did you get that dress/table/mug? Need to get me one for my photos too". There's a fine line between being inspired by someone else's photos, and completely ripping them off.

Following the Instagram flock isn't something I'm completely innocent of myself - minus the hundreds of poses because that's just not me. I've visited those flowery cafes (for my day job, and out of curiosity), and I've taken those flatlay photos. Actually, I won't lie, I still have a weakness for a flatlay done well.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Laura Reynolds (@scribbling_lau) on Jun 24, 2018 at 12:08am PDT

Why? Because I felt I *should* be doing it as a blogger. I've just unfollowed loads of the bloggers and blogging accounts on social media, because I realised I was being influenced by them, not to buy the latest skincare range or pumpkin spice latter drink, but about how my blog - my little space on the internet - should be.

For every blogger dredging in the likes on Instagram for taking a photo at the exact same spot where ten bloggers took a photo yesterday (there's a certain west London cafe that I'll keep nameless that has bloggers literally queuing up on a daily basis), there's another blogger working away quietly behind the scenes, writing decent, meaningful, good quality blog posts, and taking unique photos.

In writing this post, I've gone and done one of the things I hate most about the blogging 'industry' - blogging about blogging, but I just had to get it off my chest. Because that's what this blog is about - the things that thrill, bug, annoy and please me. You're welcome to stay for the ride.

Literally every thought I've had about BBC's Bodyguard in the last 22.5 hours

***This post was written after episode 4 of BBC's Bodyguard and contains spoilers for episodes 1-4. If you haven's watched them yet and don't want to ruin them, don't read on.***

I'm not normally one for writing - or, really, thinking - about TV, but darn gosh, BBC's Bodyguard has really got to me. I mean really, haven't-been-able-to-think-of-anything-else-since-last-night's-episode got to me.

Is Julia Montague/Keeley Hawes really dead?

The big question on everyone's tweets - did they really kill off one of the two main characters at the end of the third episode (revealing the death in the fourth episode)? My initial thought was no. You don't hire a flawless actress like Keeley Hawes - Mrs Durrells, for goodness sake - for a BBC six parter, only to kill her off halfway through... or do you?

Apparently, Bodyguard writer Jed Mercurio has form for killing off key characters halfway through a series (I've not watched his other shows, so couldn't comment). And you know what? I salute that. TV dramas (plus films, books...) are so predictable these days. Everything sticks to the generic conventions that everything will be alright in the end, so it's refreshing to see that challenged, and the equilibrium thrown off.

If she is dead, the chemistry between Julia and David/Dave that kept the series afloat in the first three episodes will be lacking for the last two, meaning something seriously juicy will have to replace it to keep the audience interested.

Who put a blank bullet in David/Dave's gun?

Literally no idea. Perhaps he did itself in a state of PTSD. Next.

What's in a name?

While we're on the subject of the blank bullets in David/Dave's gun, one theory doing the rounds is that a very-much-still-alive Julia had someone replace the bullets as she knew how upset David/Dave would be on hearing about her 'death'. Personally, I think this is a bit too slushy for a gritty show like this BUT - it's all a bit Shakespearean isn't it, with more than a hint of Romeo & Juliet about it. Julia Montague is very close to a combination of Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague. Just sayin', folks.

Is Tahir Mahmood guilty? 

Honestly, I don't think he is. He clearly didn't know what was in the briefcase he was handed it by his colleague. Just a scapegoat for a larger plot.

What was in the briefcase?

I don't think there was a bomb in there when Tahir opened it for David/Dave. If the blast did come from the briefcase, someone tampered it between David/Dave confronting Tahir in the corridor, and Tahir walking on stage with it. Who was the woman who walked into the auditorium late? What did Kim see that made her run towards the stage?

What's the deal with Tom Fenton?

Tom Fenton was Julia's PPO until David/Dave takes over the role. We meet him in the first episode, at Julia and David/Dave's first encounter, when the latter suggests to Julia that she might use the underground entrance in future. He's still around in the third episode, as part of the security team in the auditorium shortly before the bomb goes off. and interviewed afterwards. So if he's still working in security, why was he taken off duty at Julia's PPO and replaced with David/Dave?

The other suspicious characters

• Chanel, the former PA fired in episode one, who tried to sell dirt on Julia to the tabloids, before climbing into a car driven by a man who knew the rooftop shooter.
• Julia's ex-husband, Roger Penhaligon. He sees her ambition as a threat.
• Vicky/ Vicky's new boyfriend. Does the boyfriend exist? If so, did he have anything to do with replacing the bullets? Or has she made him up to cover for something else? Definitely something dodgy going on there.
• Anne Sampson. Power struggle between two leading ladies? Nah, not buying it.
• The man who linger behind David/Dave in the hospital, when he's waiting for news on Julia. 

Is David/Dave in on it all?

Could it in fact be that David/Dave has been part of an elaborate plan to assassinate Julia Montague all along, working in cahoots with others - perhaps his disgruntled ex-Army pals, perhaps with others in government?

What a coincidence that he, a serving security police officer,  happened to be on that train in the first episode, the one in which he talked a suicide bomber out of detonating a bomb, thus landing the job as the Home Secretary's PPO? Could that have been an elaborate ploy to land him the job? Does he know Nadia after all? Was his relationship with Julia all an act on his part, an attempt to win her trust? The more I think about it, the more I believe this - after all, the show is named for this character. Who was he on the phone too shortly before the bomb went off? Gah, so many questions.


So, my current thoughts: Julia is dead. David/Dave is involved, somehow, along with a couple of the other characters. I NEED to talk about this - tweet me if you have thoughts/opinions/theories.