I've used Premier Inns a lot with work when I've had to stay over on a job.
Being more secure than some hotels, especially around the reception area, they provide scammers with what they perceive as a valid excuse for getting you to transfer money to them.
Most SPs don't use them in my experience, not because they're bad (they're a great place to stay), but because they're that bit more secure and it's more difficult to get past reception, unless it's a bigger one.
For the smaller ones, you invariably have to pass someone in reception, and because of the way they're built, they're not big receptions like in the 5* hotels or the old hotels where you can just blend into a crowd unnoticed. You simply can't get in without being seen by a receptionist in most, and they all have card locks on the reception to guest area doors. Some have them on the lifts too, especially in inner city areas where thieving would otherwise cause a problem. Lots of hotels are now using these on their lifts, just something to be aware of if you're not visiting at a busy time.
All of that said, I've met a few SPs in Premier Inns, and they've invariably had an automated check in, or in one case, had a rear door to the car park that bypassed reception, making tailgating easy at peak times.
Best thing I can recommend for any newbies, short of getting a job where you're out on jobs regularly where you have to use hotels, is to check the venue out on Google maps and figure out if you're likely to hit the problem in advance.
Well done for walking though matey and no thinking with your dick, way to deal with the scammers.
