Budget hotels discussion

[Bletchleyite]

So Ibis budget isn't a budget hotel?

Regular Ibis isn't, no. It predates budget hotels, and while it does bear a decent resemblance to Premier Inn it isn't quite the same in how it works, largely because it's older than that concept, having been about for 40+ years. L'hotel Ibis came up in our school French books!

Ibis Budget is a budget hotel (arguably below Travelodge in the market - in many ways more like a YHA private room).

Premier Inn are more mid scale these days, especially with their current pricing.

Premier Inn is to easyJet what Travelodge is to Ryanair. Both of them follow the budget/"low cost" pricing model (i.e. yield managed and upsells, plus the actual product being fairly no frills, i.e. no pools, gyms, laundry etc) but at different price levels.

 

[cactustwirly]

Regular Ibis isn't, no. It predates budget hotels, and while it does bear a decent resemblance to Premier Inn it isn't quite the same in how it works, largely because it's older than that concept, having been about for 40+ years. L'hotel Ibis came up in our school French books!

Ibis Budget is a budget hotel (arguably below Travelodge in the market - in many ways more like a YHA private room).



Premier Inn is to easyJet what Travelodge is to Ryanair. Both of them follow the budget/"low cost" pricing model (i.e. yield managed and upsells, plus the actual product being fairly no frills, i.e. no pools, gyms, laundry etc) but at different price levels.

You've just described every lower mid-scale chain. They all use yield management prices, especially these days with Booking.com etc

Most 3 star hotels won't have pools or gyms either

Ibis is definitely a budget hotel, probably the largest in Europe

Arguably Holiday Inn Express isn't far from Premier Inn in terms of service either

 

[Bletchleyite]

You've just described every lower mid-scale chain. They all use yield management prices, especially these days with Booking.com etc

Most 3 star hotels won't have pools or gyms either

As with airlines, the low-cost model is spreading, precisely because it is so profitable to operate that way.

It is a low COST (to the business) model, not a low PRICE (to the customer) model. It can be applied at any level of pricing/luxury. An example of a company applying something close to it but with rather high prices is LNER.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Jul 2025 ==

Arguably Holiday Inn Express isn't far from Premier Inn in terms of service either

I would put HI Express and PI in the same segment of the market, but Travelodge below and Ibis slightly above, but not by much in either case these days bar the knackered old unrefurbished Travelodges which are increasingly few in number. To be fair HI Express's gimmick is a free breakfast, but it's a pretty rubbish one and I'd rather pay for a better one.

 

[Andyh82]

Every element of the Holiday Inn Express ‘free’ breakfast is more limited than Premier Inn’s

Whether that’s the cooked part, the cereals part or the bakery part, it’s less extensive in all areas

I notice they still have cleaners coming in every day during your stay, which PI axed during covid

 

[Bletchleyite]

I notice they still have cleaners coming in every day during your stay, which PI axed during covid

I'm more than happy with them not cleaning during a weekend stay. It's invasive and a waste of money.

On a week's stay a midweek refresh might be nice, but every day is unnecessary.

I would rather they spent more time on cleans between guests, though, often this is done very badly e.g. muck buildup left in aircon and extractor fan grilles which takes 5 seconds to sort with the vacuum cleaner, or dust left on top of surfaces.

 

[TheTallOne]

The premier inn I visited this month said to let reception know if you want your room cleaning during your stay, otherwise they won't.

And as for holiday inn express, you can hang a don't clean my room thing on the door and get 500 points instead.

I always go for the points (or a free drink where they offer that as an option), don't need the room cleaning during a 2-3 day stay.

 

[Meole]

Stayed in a national chain hotel close to Cardiff station a while back, had a few drinks out with local colleagues and on return was slightly puzzled to see girls passing in and out with older men, kept awake with lots of shouting and other noise, finally asleep but woken at 5 as the night club next door emptied all its empty bottles into a collection truck. Never again.

 

[cactustwirly]

As with airlines, the low-cost model is spreading, precisely because it is so profitable to operate that way.

It is a low COST (to the business) model, not a low PRICE (to the customer) model. It can be applied at any level of pricing/luxury. An example of a company applying something close to it but with rather high prices is LNER.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Jul 2025 ==



I would put HI Express and PI in the same segment of the market, but Travelodge below and Ibis slightly above, but not by much in either case these days bar the knackered old unrefurbished Travelodges which are increasingly few in number. To be fair HI Express's gimmick is a free breakfast, but it's a pretty rubbish one and I'd rather pay for a better one.

It is convenient, you don't expect a free breakfast to be as good as a paid one.

Some HIEx are more tired than others, but you also have some nasty PI which are worse than a Travelodge.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Every element of the Holiday Inn Express ‘free’ breakfast is more limited than Premier Inn’s

Whether that’s the cooked part, the cereals part or the bakery part, it’s less extensive in all areas

The difference is narrowing, though. Premier Inn breakfasts aren’t as varied as they once were and the quality of the produce has taken a noticeable nosedive just in the last 6-12 months. I’ve had two recent stays at the same Premier Inn in London, one in March and one last week, and everything about the quality of the breakfast was so much worse this time. It wasn’t the cooking, although they were slower to replenish things like pastries, it was the quality of the ingredients. Clearly there’s been some heavy duty cost cutting going on.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It wasn’t the cooking, although they were slower to replenish things like pastries, it was the quality of the ingredients. Clearly there’s been some heavy duty cost cutting going on.

I'd agree there. For one, the oven cooked hash browns certainly aren't great - they need to get the chip fryer going (and they generally do have one for chips at dinner time). I don't generally have sausage, but the bacon is a bit cheap. The rest you can hardly really get wrong, I prefer cheap beans anyway.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Jul 2025 ==

Some HIEx are more tired than others, but you also have some nasty PI which are worse than a Travelodge.

There are a few but not many, and there seem to be a lot of refurbishments going on at present so the numbers are diminishing. And there are still the very bad original fitout TLs too, e.g. Corley services (though last time I stayed there it only cost me £20 booked on the day so I'm not complaining as such!)

 

[Belperpete]

So Ibis budget isn't a budget hotel?

If you stay at one that shares the building with one of their other brands, such as the one at Birmingham airport, although the room itself is to the usual Ibis Budget standard, you often get some of the other hotel facilities, such as a proper cooked breakfast.

In addition, many Ibis hotels are franchises, and so can be better than the standard.

 

[DelW]

The premier inn I visited this month said to let reception know if you want your room cleaning during your stay, otherwise they won't.

And as for holiday inn express, you can hang a don't clean my room thing on the door and get 500 points instead.

I always go for the points (or a free drink where they offer that as an option), don't need the room cleaning during a 2-3 day stay.

The Travelodge that I stayed in last month offered similar, let reception know if you'd like the room serviced. I don't usually need it during a short stay.

Though I miss the automatic replenishing of teabags and milk. I know you can collect more from reception, but I often only remember I've run out when a trip to reception means getting dressed again.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Though I miss the automatic replenishing of teabags and milk. I know you can collect more from reception, but I often only remember I've run out when a trip to reception means getting dressed again.

I like the way Premier Inn put them out for you to grab as many as you want. No doubt a lot of people take a handful home, but they aren't expensive and it's a good customer service thing not to have to go and beg for them.

I've come across hotels that charge for replenishment - classic penny pinching there!

 

[nlogax]

I like the way Premier Inn put them out for you to grab as many as you want. No doubt a lot of people take a handful home, but they aren't expensive and it's a good customer service thing not to have to go and beg for them.

I only noticed that for the first time last week... the idea of a hotel giving that stuff away was quite refreshing and very welcome. These are no doubt the small touches that keep travellers loyal to a brand.

 

[ChrisC]

Every element of the Holiday Inn Express ‘free’ breakfast is more limited than Premier Inn’s

Whether that’s the cooked part, the cereals part or the bakery part, it’s less extensive in all areas

I notice they still have cleaners coming in every day during your stay, which PI axed during covid

I completely agree that the Holiday Inn Express breakfast is more limited and not as extensive as a PI breakfast, but the quality of the limited items seems to better than what PI are now serving. When Ive stayed at a Holiday Inn Express I have appreciated the fresh soft breakfast rolls and tasty bacon to make myself a bacon roll. Far better than the cheap standard sliced bread and poor quality tasteless bacon in a PI these days. Reading recent posts it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who has noticed a decline in the quality of PI breakfasts.

My experience is that since the Covid lockdowns PI has been generally cost cutting with less maintenance, less staff, poorer quality breakfasts items, no room servicing and even charging for parking at more hotels. At the same time PI have been opening many new hotels but their prices have risen considerably and at times can hardly be described as budget. Many of the older staff members, who had worked in their hotels for years and took a pride in the job and welcoming guests, especially at breakfast, did not return after covid.

I get the impression that as PI have cut costs, some of the other chains like IHG and Accor have actually improved and often for no more money offer a better experience. The friendliness and helpfulness of some of the older experienced staff and fantastic breakfasts in IHG group hotels I have recently stayed at in Portsmouth, Harrogate and Manchester reminded me of how it used to be at a PI ten years ago. Although I have to admit that Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza were more mid range than budget, but surprisingly reasonable rates can be found for some dates, especially if you take advantage of special offers within their reward schemes.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd certainly choose Ibis over PI these days, it's just that little bit better. The thing they need to look at, though, is that unlike PI only the expensive rate is changeable. Most rates at PI are changeable, only the Fixed rate isn't, and that is only offered close to the date of the stay.

 

[TheSmiths82]

Stayed in a national chain hotel close to Cardiff station a while back, had a few drinks out with local colleagues and on return was slightly puzzled to see girls passing in and out with older men, kept awake with lots of shouting and other noise, finally asleep but woken at 5 as the night club next door emptied all its empty bottles into a collection truck. Never again.

I think I know which hotel you mean, I once booked that but on the flexible basis. When I saw on Street View what was underneath it I quickly cancelled it and booked the Premier Inn. Cardiff is a city where hotel noise can be an issue as the city centre is so compact so a check on Steet View is worth doing to make sure there is are no clubs/bars that may open to 4:00am underneath it.

 

[styles]

I like the way Premier Inn put them out for you to grab as many as you want. No doubt a lot of people take a handful home, but they aren't expensive and it's a good customer service thing not to have to go and beg for them.

Travelodge do this in most hotels also.

The Travelodge I stay in over Christmas most years I even ask the staff if they mind if I take a few away with me and they're like yeah help yourself. I mainly use them for short hiking+camping trips.

One of their individually-wrapped teabags probably costs them around 5p (was 3p per teabag when I worked in a wholesalers around 10 years ago). It's a super easy customer service bonus to give them away for free to the minority of people who grab a couple on their way out.

 

[TheSmiths82]

I'd certainly choose Ibis over PI these days, it's just that little bit better. The thing they need to look at, though, is that unlike PI only the expensive rate is changeable. Most rates at PI are changeable, only the Fixed rate isn't, and that is only offered close to the date of the stay.

Depending on location and price then Ibis is generally now I preferred option with TL second. There are exceptions but I often find PI is so much more expensive it doesn't seem like good value considering places like the Hilton are often not much more expensive especially at weekends. One thing Ibis do need to look at is the rooms, they seemed to have a big expansion drive in the UK in the mid 2000's and a lot of the rooms haven't been touched since then apart from maybe a new TV and a lick of paint.

Ibis Budget is a funny one, I stayed in one in Perpignan, the view of my room was of the Pyrenees (it was one of my best hotel views ever), it was quiet and opposite some very good pubs. For the 50 euros a night I paid it was a genuine bargain. The only downside is was a long walk from the station, but the station in Perpignan isn't really in the city centre anyway.

 

[styles]

Depending on location and price then Ibis is generally now I preferred option with TL second. There are exceptions but I often find PI is so much more expensive it doesn't seem like good value considering places like the Hilton are often not much more expensive especially at weekends. One thing Ibis do need to look at is the rooms, they seemed to have a big expansion drive in the UK in the mid 2000's and a lot of the rooms haven't been touched since then apart from maybe a new TV and a lick of paint.

I'd agree with this.

For the price Premier Inn charge now, I often prefer to spend just a slight amount more and get a DoubleTree/Hilton. Either that or I'm on a budget and Travelodge or Holiday Inn Express are in order.

They just seem to be the mediocre but badly-priced chain these days. Nothing wrong with them, but not sure on the value for money basis.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think I know which hotel you mean, I once booked that but on the flexible basis. When I saw on Street View what was underneath it I quickly cancelled it and booked the Premier Inn. Cardiff is a city where hotel noise can be an issue as the city centre is so compact so a check on Steet View is worth doing to make sure there is are no clubs/bars that may open to 4:00am underneath it.

With regard to "ladies of the night", Preston Premier Inn anecdotally has an issue with this. They record the number of people staying in the room when you check in, and have a security person standing at the entrance checking your room number and that you aren't bringing "visitors" back. Never known that at any other PI!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

Talking of Ibis, the one annoying thing about these is the "trendy" not having a check-in desk thing. It's really awkward having people queueing in the entrance for a free-standing member of staff with a tablet, and probably harder for the staff too. Some still have a desk and some do it at the bar, though.

 

[styles]

Talking of Ibis, the one annoying thing about these is the "trendy" not having a check-in desk thing. It's really awkward having people queueing in the entrance for a free-standing member of staff with a tablet, and probably harder for the staff too. Some still have a desk and some do it at the bar, though.

Village Hotels often have these self check-in terminals, but I am yet to have an interaction with them which doesn't require a member of staff stepping in. Often the card isn't working, but sometimes it's because the booking is made through Expedia (inc. booking.com, hotels.com, etc) and the email address for the booking is something like 21312bjhb5432bjhe213e@expedia.com, not youractualemailaddress@example.com.

I can't imagine it saves much money as they're still employing somebody to do the check-ins, given they can't leave it unattended. It might speed up check-ins for large groups but that's about it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Village Hotels often have these self check-in terminals, but I am yet to have an interaction with them which doesn't require a member of staff stepping in. Often the card isn't working, but sometimes it's because the booking is made through Expedia (inc. booking.com, hotels.com, etc) and the email address for the booking is something like 21312bjhb5432bjhe213e@expedia.com, not youractualemailaddress@example.com.

I can't imagine it saves much money as they're still employing somebody to do the check-ins, given they can't leave it unattended. It might speed up check-ins for large groups but that's about it.

I didn't mean self check-in terminals - I meant a person does it, but they just stand right in the way with a tablet in their hand rather than being behind a desk. Fundamentally a check-in desk makes sense at a hotel unless you're going to make it all self service and just have a person at the bar who can assist if you're stuck.

PI check in terminals allow you to enter a few different things to find a booking which helps with the above issue, I forget what the options are but it's stuff like booking reference, name/address etc.

I think budget hotels will increasingly move towards NFC keys on your phone which removes check-in entirely. Some are already doing that I think though I'm yet to stay in one - obviously to do it it requires replacement of the door locks at some cost so it won't be a quick thing to implement.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==

I can't imagine it saves much money as they're still employing somebody to do the check-ins, given they can't leave it unattended. It might speed up check-ins for large groups but that's about it.

The saving is that you can have one member of staff at the bar rather than needing an extra one at reception, and they can just assist if you get stuck.

 

[TheSmiths82]

I think budget hotels will increasingly move towards NFC keys on your phone which removes check-in entirely. Some are already doing that I think though I'm yet to stay in one - obviously to do it it requires replacement of the door locks at some cost so it won't be a quick thing to implement.

I think most of the TL's I have stayed in lately have all used NFC anyway, so to implement it can be done via software although that would be expensive to produce unless they can use an off the shelf solution. I think this would work as a que saver during busy times as longs as there is still staff there if something doesn't work. I personally hate having to have apps for everything as it is getting ridiculous especially when most apps these days are JavaScript/HTML5 based anyway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I think most of the TL's I have stayed in lately have all used NFC anyway, so to implement it can be done via software although that would be expensive to produce unless they can use an off the shelf solution. I think this would work as a que saver during busy times as longs as there is still staff there if something doesn't work.

The proximity cards aren't necessarily to NFC standards, though, they're proprietary hotel keycard solutions that predate actual NFC by many, many years.

You'd obviously need something to deal with flat batteries, but the easiest thing to deal with that is probably just a free charging facility in reception! (And also a physical card option for non smartphone users).

I personally hate having to have apps for everything as it is getting ridiculous especially when most apps these days are JavaScript/HTML5 based anyway.

Apple and Google Wallets can do NFC passes instead of barcoded ones. It's increasingly used for gig tickets.

 

[TheSmiths82]

The proximity cards aren't necessarily to NFC standards, though, they're proprietary hotel keycard solutions that predate actual NFC by many, many years.

You'd obviously need something to deal with flat batteries, but the easiest thing to deal with that is probably just a free charging facility in reception! (And also a physical card option for non smartphone users).



Apple and Google Wallets can do NFC passes instead of barcoded ones. It's increasingly used for gig tickets.

You would still need an app to put on the wallet though, I assume this can be done via website too but I haven't seen that yet. You would of course still need to offer an in person alternative as not everybody have smartphones and even those that do would struggle. My parents both have smartphones but struggle with anything new that isn't day to day stuff.

Perhaps hotels could use NFC as new ones opened and then only replace older locks to NFC when they actually need to. I would have thought replacing every lock in a 400 bedroom hotel would take many years to pay off if it is just to reduce the labour of what is probably less than a single member of staff.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You would still need an app to put on the wallet though, I assume this can be done via website too but I haven't seen that yet.

An app is not required to add something (NFC or barcode) to the Google or Apple Wallet. It can be, and usually is, done via a Web link in an email.

 

[styles]

I didn't mean self check-in terminals - I meant a person does it, but they just stand right in the way with a tablet in their hand rather than being behind a desk. Fundamentally a check-in desk makes sense at a hotel unless you're going to make it all self service and just have a person at the bar who can assist if you're stuck.

PI check in terminals allow you to enter a few different things to find a booking which helps with the above issue, I forget what the options are but it's stuff like booking reference, name/address etc.

I think budget hotels will increasingly move towards NFC keys on your phone which removes check-in entirely. Some are already doing that I think though I'm yet to stay in one - obviously to do it it requires replacement of the door locks at some cost so it won't be a quick thing to implement.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Jul 2025 ==



The saving is that you can have one member of staff at the bar rather than needing an extra one at reception, and they can just assist if you get stuck.

I understand that the handheld tablet operation isn't self check-in.

My point is more that regardless of whether you have a staff member with a tablet at the entrance, or a staff member supervising 3 self check-in points which don't work, or a staff member behind a 'traditional' check-in desk, that's still a staff member. It doesn't free up anybody to work at the bar. It may do, if self check-in worked and the hotel was particularly prone to 'rushes' of customers wanting to check-in. But in the staff member with a tablet case, or with the self check-in which almost always requires staff intervention, I can't see how it frees up staff time.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Talking of Ibis, the one annoying thing about these is the "trendy" not having a check-in desk thing. It's really awkward having people queueing in the entrance for a free-standing member of staff with a tablet, and probably harder for the staff too. Some still have a desk and some do it at the bar, though.

I stayed in a hotel in Jena last year, and it was an interesting surprise to come to a hotel that was very much old fashioned: large wooden reception area, various things like computer workstations in the lobby, a lobby bar in the old fashioned way, and everything looked very much like how a good business hotel looked in 1992. I spoke to the reception staff, and they said that it was like that because the hotel simply wasn't profitable enough to make it worth changing to modern standards.

The hotel itself was a 4* hotel and it had everything that you'd expect from a 4* hotel, it was just very visibly dated, even down to the strange air conditioning/heating system in the room. It was perfectly comfortable, and certainly not awkward. I'm really not a fan of this modern approach of not having a check-in desk as well, especially because it's awkward to stand around in a public space or to have to hunt down someone to get the keys.

I don't mind self check-in systems if they work well. I used one last year in Germany that was a breeze: put your phone number in, put a PIN in that had been sent previously, and the terminal asked if I wanted an adjoining room at a discount and if I wanted breakfast. Simple, easy and it spat out the keycards after confirming everything. You could also use an e-mail address or a booking reference number.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The German speaking countries tend to be very traditionalist so I'm unsurprised you've experienced that in Germany. I've stayed in similar places in Switzerland.