TravelValue: England: Nuneaton, England George Eliot Must Be Rolling In Her Grave

Premier Inn Nuneaton/Coventry

aka Griff House

Coventry Road

Nuneaton CV10 7PJ

United Kingdom

Phone number +44 871 527 8858

Website: premierinn.com/nuneaton

Prices: ££££

The room was advertised online at £34.50 three days before our arrival, but when our travel plans were clear and I went to book the room the next day, the price had shot up to £43.50. As a travel critic and well known blogger with a focus on value, price gouging customers is not something I take lightly. When I asked the front desk clerk upon arrival why the price went up, I was told "That's the way we do it, prices change from day to day".

Their "free" Internet was extremely difficult to connect to and so slow that it was useless, so we gave up rather than paying the extra £5 for "Premium" service, another indication that the company's greed outweighs customer needs and satisfaction. The room was so small that my wife and I had to take turns moving around the room because the double bed took up most of the room and while sitting at the small desk trying to connect to the useless Internet, my wife had to crawl over the bed to get around me and to her side of the bed.

The staff at the adjoining Beefeater were great, but the food was mediocre and the prices quite high for what we got. My £15.99 ($22.60) sirloin must have been 8 ounces before cooking because it looked rather small and it was overcooked (I asked for medium-well and it was well-done). If a place called BEEFeater cannot cook a steak correctly, there must be something terribly wrong. The "unlimited" fries/chips were sparse and was never asked if I wanted more and the Cheddar, Pulled Ham and Mushroom Sauce (£1.99/$2.85 - bringing the total to £17.98/$25.45) was barely enough to cover the small steak. The only other thing I got on the plate was a single broiled tomato slice and one lonely sauteed mushroom. I can get quite a nice steak dinner at countless places in the States for $26, including a larger, better cut of meat and more/better fries, I would also get soup and/or salad, vegetables and bread for that price. Finally, I also found asking hotel guests to pay £8.95 ($25.30 for two) for breakfast also quite absurd.

Whitbread (Premier Inn's parent company) obviously cares only about profit and not its customers and preserving their building's historical significance is clearly not a priority. They have ruined George Eliot's birthplace and childhood home both inside and out instead of restoring it to its former glory and taking advantage of Eliot's fame to bring her fans and English literature enthusiasts to Nuneaton and the property. How they got away with destroying such a historic property is unfathomable.

George Eliot Memorial Plaque Obscured By Wiring And Pipes

Front (Now Side Of Beefeater) Of The Evans (George Eliot) Home In Disrepair

Evans' Farm Outbuildings Neglected And In Disrepair

Round Pond From George Eliot's Novels

The George Eliot Fellowship, dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of their famous, British namesake author and Nuneaton resident, has attempted, unsuccessfully, to persuade Premier Inn, Beefeater and Whitbread to restore the property to its former glory, promoting Eliot and Nuneaton with the respect they deserve. One would think the conglomerate would welcome the notoriety and income from such a famous and historic association, but with a 95% property capacity utilization rate, they apparently simply do not care. Shame on you Whitbread!