Eagle-eyed ‘junior inspectors’ going through a new £8.1 million hotel in St Albans city centre with a fine tooth comb have given it top marks, much to the relief of its boss.

To announce its recent opening - and to ensure that the hotel was of the highest standard - Premier Inn appointed Aboyne Lodge School pupils to cut the ribbon and conduct final checks of the rooms and menu.

The youngsters were taken through a Lenny Henry-style warm up video to ensure they were qualified to ‘bed flop’ while testing the rooms.

Tara Cruise, general manager of Premier Inn St Albans, explained: “We really value feedback from our guests and as a brand new hotel it is really important we make a great first impression.

“We wanted to invite pupils from Aboyne Lodge School as we saw it as a brilliant opportunity to get feedback from our younger guests and ensure they are happy with the hotel, as we love having families stay with us.”

Armed with checklists a dozen Years 5 and 6 pupils ranked the hotel on factors including friendliness of staff, bed bounciness, pillow softness and room cleanliness - giving it their seal of approval.

They also put their taste buds to the test by working their way through the hotel chain’s dinner menu.

Nine-year-old Ted Jenkins said: “We were so excited to be invited as the junior hotel inspectors. I really enjoyed doing the bed flop test to make sure the beds are super comfy and I loved sampling all of the food, especially the burgers.

“Premier Inn St Albans gets a 9.9/10 from me!”

The 123-bedroom hotel in Adelaide Street boosted local employment with the creation of 24 new jobs upon opening.