Like many other families in the UK, the Pedlars were missing their regular birthday celebrations due to lockdown rules.
To do something a bit different, they decided to recreate a Premier Inn at their property – to the delight of birthday boy Noah, who has Spina Bifida, and his sister Heidi, nine.
They were inspired by their frequent stays at the Premier Inns in Haymarket and Lewin’s Mead in Bristol when Noah receives treatment at Bristol Children’s hospital. The youngster, from Barnstaple, Devon, has had to shield due to being high risk and has been advised by the government to stay at home.
Leading up to Noah’s sixth birthday he was starting to miss his holiday trips to the ‘moon hotel’ and asked when they would be able to stay in a Premier Inn again.
Deciding to recreate the fun memories, parents Louise and Stuart, both 31, thought it would be a nice idea to surprise Noah and Heidi with a ‘moon sleepover’ of their own.
Louise started by decorating the room with some key details like the white bedsheets, purple lights behind the headboard and even went so far as to recreate the Premier Inn logo in the background.
Louise said: “Noah has undergone 42 general anaesthetics in his six years, but his condition doesn’t define him as he is such a happy child with so much life.
“Every birthday we get with Noah is one to cherish and I wanted to make sure we could make the most of everyday and keep creating those special memories, even if we are stuck inside shielding.
“It’s not been easy at times, but we decided to think outside the box and thought it would be fun for us to recreate a Premier Inn at home and plan a ‘trip’ to ‘the moon hotel’ as we’ve always enjoyed spending time there, even if he is often going to hospital the next morning.
“We hope our idea inspires other families to recreate fun memories and to make the most of every day.”
Noah’s story caught the eye of the Premier Inn team, who spotted the story on social media, leading to team members organising an array of Premier Inn-themed goodies for Noah along with a complimentary stay at a hotel of their choice when lockdown ends so the family can enjoy a leisure break.
Simon Ewins, Premier Inn managing director UK, said: “It’s safe to say Noah’s special birthday has really brought a smile to the faces of everyone at Premier Inn.
“We’re delighted the family chose us to celebrate this special occasion and are looking forward to checking them in ‘for real’ as soon as we’re able.”
The Pedlar family aren’t the only ones looking to re-create Premier Inn at home.
Over the years the hotel company has received many letters from fans who have undertaken similar efforts.
This includes a retired couple who are currently spending every weekend in a ‘Premier Inn’ spare bedroom as they creatively have a ‘break’ during lockdown rules and a Greater Manchester family who painstakingly transformed their bedroom using the hotel company’s iconic purple colours.
