Accommodation suggestions and reviews

[route101]

I wonder what price these really expensive Premier Inns started at when the rooms first went on sale. And who pays £300 a night for a Travelodge or Premier Inn.

My record is £160 for one night.

 

[styles]

Hilton have had a digital key since 2020. The check in part does work pretty well but the key itself is similarly unreliable.

Sounds fro media reports that check-in works really well and you can access whichever room you need, yeah.

 

[CyrusWuff]

The app also functions as your room key by NFC or Bluetooth. The new app iw called Travelodge StaySmart. I'm not sure how many hotels have it but it is a no from me, I'll stick to standard check in from now on!

It's St Albans, London City (near Aldgate station) and possibly Thame (near Travelodge Head Office.) I've used it a few times at both St Albans and London City and never had an issue.

Unlike the last time I had a physical keycard, where every single one that had been issued on the day I checked in had somehow been coded to expire at midnight that same day. As a result, when people came down for breakfast or a smoke the following morning they had to get their card recoded before they could return to their room.

 

[sh24]

Sounds fro media reports that check-in works really well and you can access whichever room you need, yeah.

It depends on the property and how they release rooms. You can sometimes only get a limited selection, but others even elite status upgrades come through.

 

[Willie Bee]

There is an offer on now with Premier Inn

Free breakfasts for stays between 18th Sept and 23rd November

Some hotels are as cheap as £35, so with breakfasts normally £10.99 each or sometimes £11.99, two people could have a mini break and get a decent breakfast too

See >> Link here

 

[trainophile]

There is an offer on now with Premier Inn

Free breakfasts for stays between 18th Sept and 23rd November

Some hotels are as cheap as £35, so with breakfasts normally £10.99 each or sometimes £11.99, two people could have a mini break and get a decent breakfast too

See >> Link here

Thank you! Have just cancelled and rebooked two upcoming stays, and saved nearly £300 in the process when I include the free breakfasts x 2 of us x 6 nights. Appreciate bookings are now non-refundable, but it's worth a gamble.

 

[Justin Time]

There is an offer on now with Premier Inn

Free breakfasts for stays between 18th Sept and 23rd November

Some hotels are as cheap as £35, so with breakfasts normally £10.99 each or sometimes £11.99, two people could have a mini break and get a decent breakfast too

See >> Link here

A cautionary note here. I’ve just had an email from Premier/Beefeater/Brewers Fayre notifying me of restaurant closures in the middle of September, which I was aware of.
The email goes on to state that after that date breakfasts will still be available either in house or in a “nearby restaurant”.
That last bit concerns me, a nearby restaurant is unlikely to be a help yourself buffet, and the quality can vary greatly.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

A cautionary note here. I’ve just had an email from Premier/Beefeater/Brewers Fayre notifying me of restaurant closures in the middle of September, which I was aware of.
The email goes on to state that after that date breakfasts will still be available either in house or in a “nearby restaurant”.
That last bit concerns me, a nearby restaurant is unlikely to be a help yourself buffet, and the quality can vary greatly.

There is precedent for that; Travelodge Porthmadog make guests walk 5 minutes to a café called Breaktimes on a nearby industrial estate if you want breakfast... and no, they don't give you a voucher for it. You have to pay for it separately.

Albeit in this case, the Travelodge never had on site catering in the first place.

 

[trainophile]

My main concern in the small print for Bournemouth Central PI is "we are trying to get the lift mended, the lift is currently not working for your stay dates" or words to that effect. Given there's 8 or 9 floors, and the Premier Plus rooms tend to be on the higher floors, this is somewhat concerning. There are two lifts, a tiny one and a main one, so I'm hoping at least one of them is working by then (towards the end of September) otherwise it's going to be challenging.

This would have applied even if I hadn't cancelled and re-booked as it's the same dates, and we hadn't been notified regarding the lift.

 

[Justin Time]

There is precedent for that; Travelodge Porthmadog make guests walk 5 minutes to a café called Breaktimes on a nearby industrial estate if you want breakfast... and no, they don't give you a voucher for it. You have to pay for it separately.

Albeit in this case, the Travelodge never had on site catering in the first place

Fair comment there, and the Travelodge “breakfast box” is awful anyway. But in this case I fear that in certain circumstances Premier are going to outsource their breakfasts, reducing the value to me. I usually load up from the buffet to keep me going all day, greedy I know, but unlike others that I’ve witnessed I don’t waste anything.
My big worry is that they enter into a deal with Wetherspoons, which I don’t use under any circumstances.
Hopefully I’m way off beam here, but I’ll see what happens when I’m in the Premier in Scarbados next month.

 

[Haywain]

My big worry is that they enter into a deal with Wetherspoons, which I don’t use under any circumstances.

If they were to do that at the Premier Inn round the corner from me, it would fail on the 'nearby' tag! It's an interesting one because there are no nearby restaurants, apart from MacDonalds and Starbucks.

 

[Justin Time]

If they were to do that at the Premier Inn round the corner from me, it would fail on the 'nearby' tag! It's an interesting one because there are no nearby restaurants, apart from MacDonalds and Starbucks.

I get that, and of course everyone’s idea of nearby is different. I’m approaching 70, overweight and have a dodgy knee, but I can still get around reasonably well. However a “short walk” to a nearby place for breakfast is a different proposition on a nice sunny morning in June to the same short walk on a cold rainy morning in the depths of winter.
Plus, as you say if it’s one of the big chains that’s nearby it takes the shine off using Premier for me.
As I said upthread, hopefully my conjecture is off kilter, but I’ll see what I get for my £11.99 pre paid breakfast next month.

Watch this space.