NEWS FROM PREMIER INN

IS THIS THE DREAM JOB?
Meet Premier Inn’s new Director of Bed Bouncing



Most people dream of spending their working day reclining on a comfortable bed, but for Natalie Thomas it’s a reality in her job as The Director of Bed Bouncing [DOBB] for Premier Inn, the UK’s biggest budget hotel chain.

In her role as DOBB, Natalie Thomas, aged 39 and ironically from ‘Bed’fordshire, is tasked with testing how comfortable each of the hotel chain’s 46,000 beds are every six months to ensure every guest gets a good night’s sleep guaranteed.

Natalie was appointed as DOBB due to her unique ability to feel even the smallest lump or bump in a mattress. With Natalie spending up to eight hours a day bouncing her botty on beds she has to take extra special care of her derriere, with regular moisturising and being careful not to wear any hard wearing materials, like denim.

So important is Natalie’s sensitive behind to being an expert at her job, that Premier Inn may well follow in the footsteps of J-Lo, who famously insured her bum for £18 million[i], with the budget hotel chain already in talks to insure Natalie’s bottom for up to £4m.

With almost two thirds of Brits* admitting that they have suffered a bad night’s sleep as a result of an uncomfortable mattress and 63% of Brits admitting to having suffered neck and back pain as a result of a bad mattress, Premier Inn made the decision to appoint a Director of Bed Bouncing to check the comfort levels of all their beds across their 602 hotels. And with 62% of the nation citing that they would like mattresses at hotels to be checked regularly to ensure maximum comfort, this was quite simply something the budget hotel chain could not ignore.

Natalie comments: “I absolutely love my job and really can’t imagine doing anything else now! I work with an excellent team of ‘bouncers’ and we work together to bounce on every part of the bed, before testing how comfortable it is to lie and sleep on. Whilst we have lots of fun bouncing on beds, we take our job very seriously as making sure every guest gets a good night’s sleep is of paramount importance to us all.”

Claire Haigh, spokesperson for Premier Inn said, “We’re thrilled with the work our Director of Bed Bouncing and her team are doing and we hope their hard work ensures our guests continue to have a good night’s rest on our comfortable beds.”

As DOBB for Premier Inn, Natalie travels 1000’s of miles a year across the UK visiting every one of the 602 hotels. Since being appointed at the beginning of the month, Natalie and her team of dedicated ‘bouncers’ have tested an average of 7200 beds and they plan to have tested all of them by the end of February 2012.

Premier Inn bosses are then planning to give Natalie’s bottom a rest and have provided her with a special support chair to use for a two week break before she will then hit the road to start the next round of mattress testing.

Premier Inn offers all guests the unique ’Good Night Guarantee’ – which means if you are not 100% satisfied with your stay you will get a full refund.

-Ends-
For more information, imagery or an interview with DOBB, please contact
Frank PR on 020 7693 6999 / premierinn@frankpr.it
Notes to editors:
*Research carried out by One Poll for Premier Inn, 2,000 respondents were surveyed in September 2011
Award-winning Premier Inn is the UK’s biggest hotel brand with over 600 budget hotels and more than 46,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland. Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, TV with Freeview, and WiFi internet access. All Premier Inns feature a bar and restaurant; situated inside the hotel or adjacent, offering a wide range of food choices.

Premier Inn has hotels in Dubai and India. On a domestic front, Premier Inn aims to be the largest provider of budget hotels in London (within the M25) by 2012.

Premier Inn is currently offering rooms for just £29 (restrictions apply). Visit www.premierinn.com for full terms and conditions.

Premier Inn supports WaterAid, the international charity whose mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

[1] Jennifer Lopez insured her bottom for £18 million - one of the largest insurance premiums placed on a celebrity body part. http://tinyurl.com/6lx2fut