Budget hotels discussion

[Tetchytyke]

As somebody who travels almost exclusively without baggage, the comparison for me is 30 quid vs 70 quid.

That's how the airlines justify the nickel-and-diming; "you only pay for what you want to use". Sure, but nearly everyone going away wants to take a bag, that's why the airlines have progressively cut the size of cabin baggage you're allowed to take for free. It's not a coincidence that on EasyJet a 15kg hold bag now costs the same as a "large" (i.e. normal) cabin bag.

Something that's often puzzled me is why Sunday nights are usually the cheapest nights to stay anywhere

Supply and demand. Sundays don't have business demand and don't have leisure demand. In a lot of Europe not much opens on a Sunday- the shops certainly don't- which also makes it a day more suited for travelling home.

 

[bspahh]

Supply and demand. Sundays don't have business demand and don't have leisure demand. In a lot of Europe not much opens on a Sunday- the shops certainly don't- which also makes it a day more suited for travelling home.

On a Monday, you will often find that smaller museums, cafes and restaurants are closed.

 

[takno]

That's how the airlines justify the nickel-and-diming; "you only pay for what you want to use". Sure, but nearly everyone going away wants to take a bag, that's why the airlines have progressively cut the size of cabin baggage you're allowed to take for free. It's not a coincidence that on EasyJet a 15kg hold bag now costs the same as a "large" (i.e. normal) cabin bag

Airlines initially made cabin baggage free because they saved the handling costs, and because as a rule most people were taking sensible sized bags in the cabin. The adaptation in behaviour to the point where everyone started taking a solid wheely case of exactly the maximum dimensions, even if it was only half full, changed the economics of that. Given the time delays from wheelies, the difficulty of accommodating so many large bags in the cabin, and the inability to control weight in cabin bags, it's now more expensive to accommodate a cabin bad than a hold one.

The situation as it stands with people only getting sensible bags for free, enough for most people to go away for a weekend, was what was originally envisaged.

As for hotels, I'm largely not seeing this sort of thing happen at all, although I've seen people assume it is. The main change in hotels over the last 25 years is that there are hardly any shared bathrooms anymore. That does mean that the bathrooms in basic rooms are more basic than they used to be, but then in comparison they didn't used to be there at all.

Other changes to hotels, like big bottles of soap and no automatic daily cleaning, are happening across brands and cost levels, and for the most part without a chargeable option to bring back what was there before. If anything hotels have gone the other way - the minibar has gone, the pay TV has gone, there is no overpriced phone, and room service is rare.

 

[jon0844]

With all the things that have been cut back, budget hotels should be cheaper than ever. Obviously they're not, but that's because of inflation and the need to pay decent wages and maintain specific staffing levels.

Clearly the desire to offer these low prices requires lots of tricks and loopholes in what you need to advertise or indeed have to offer. Look at ticketing companies to see how much they get away with.

Perhaps they should just be more open, but they wouldn't voluntarily.

Look at the race to the bottom on airlines.

Paying to check in was fine as you could print your boarding card at home, well as long as your printer worked. If not, oh well just pay up. But I didn't complain because I had a printer. (Obviously today you have an app instead).

Then paying for a case was fine as you could just take less and put your bag in the cabin. I didn't complain because I had a small carry on bag.

Then the made a case onboard cost money and it did affect me, but I didn't complain because I just got a rucksack I could stuff under the seat in front. Ha!

Then some airlines started to measure bags and even flexible bags beyond their advertised dimensions attracted a charge anyway, so I had to buy a new bag that is tiny.

Then paying for a seat was fine because I often travel alone and am not really bothered where I sit, so I didn't complain. That was just for families and surely they can sit apart for just a couple of hours?

You were where this went? It started with things people not only didn't complain about but actually thought was helping keep their price down if they played the game, but the rules kept changing and continue to keep changing because the airlines can't function on only the headline fares.

If everyone gets smart, the rules are changed or the prices go up. We can all see how it seems far harder to get cheap rooms or that some inclusive features before are now charged for, or just don't exist.

We apparently want this though. As long as you have bed and maybe heating in the winter, anyone demanding more is just greedy.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The situation as it stands with people only getting sensible bags for free, enough for most people to go away for a weekend, was what was originally envisaged.

I rather think that is the airlines seeking to retro-fit a justification for their nickel-and-diming.

The truth is that the airlines thought most people would still pay for a hold bag. And when passengers stopped paying for a hold bag they changed the rules to make a normal-sized cabin bag chargeable. We saw the same with seating, under the old unallocated seating system passengers could (usually) sit together for free. So Ryanair brought in allocated seating and- purely by coincidence- at the same time brought in a fee to choose your seat and brought in an algorithm which "randomly" seats a couple 20 rows apart if they don't pay that fee.

Other changes to hotels, like big bottles of soap and no automatic daily cleaning, are happening across brands and cost levels, and for the most part without a chargeable option to bring back what was there before.

I think that more reflects the fact that many of these services would be very difficult to make chargeable. So they simply removed them without reducing the room rate. As for things like pay TV and payphones, the truth is that smartphones made those obsolete.

Services which are more easily chargeable, such as early check-in or late check-out, are now chargeable.

 

[jon0844]

I used to pay to check a suitcase when it was just £5 or £10 (sometimes the total price, not per trip) but now you can pay £30 or more each way. They did it gradually so few noticed or moaned.

All of this is due to the need to charge more than £10 for a flight. It always used to be assumed that while you sat smug in your seat that cost 50p (the lowest fare I ever paid on Ryanair) there were others paying hundreds who booked last minute and it all balanced out. Heck, that was the whole idea.

I assume these days few people are willing to pay £300 or £400 for a single flight on Ryanair so they have to make up the shortfall elsewhere.

For hotels, I wonder how many people pay for the flexible rare? I did recently for a hotel abroad as it was only £30 more for five days and let me cancel right up to 2pm on the arrival day. But I suspect many people won't pay that extra insurance which in most cases is pure profit for the hotel.

And increasingly I read about overbooking in hotels where even people who paid up front can arrive late and find the room resold. Sure they'll find you a room at another one in their chain or alliance, but that's madness.

I knew it was a thing for bookings where you hasn't paid, but this seems totally unfair.

 

[Starmill]

Other changes to hotels, like big bottles of soap and no automatic daily cleaning, are happening across brands and cost levels, and for the most part without a chargeable option to bring back what was there before. If anything hotels have gone the other way - the minibar has gone, the pay TV has gone, there is no overpriced phone, and room service is rare.

I prefer the great big bottles of soap, there is no wasted plastic involved and it's easier to dispense the shower gel from the wall inside the shower than using a tiny physical bar or tiny little bottle that's left for you.

Daily housekeeping I'm totally fine without, most IHG brands for example incentivise with free points leaving your no housekeeping sign up during your stay. You can leave your rubbish bag on the floor in the corridor for the housekeeping staff to bin, and swap your bath mat if you really want as part of that, and that's usually all you need anyway. I don't particularly need them to go cleaning around my belongings in the room.

 

[jon0844]

Yes, I actually prefer less housekeeping but with the option to get a new towel or more toilet paper without fuss.

Clearly the real incentive is to refuse staffing and not just save the planet, but for that they need to know how many rooms need servicing and not just look in the day. So I can see more hotels starting with every other night or every third night, or starting off with zero housekeeping unless you book it.

 

[Starmill]

I think that Premier Inn will still make up your room during your stay at no extra cost, if you request it, but the default is no housekeeping service during the stay. That probably fits best with the budget ethos as most people won't remember to request it unless they have a specific reason to want it, and also they aren't paying out or administering any trivialities like loyalty points. There was a charge for housekeeping during the stay at the 'alternative' Premier Inn brands I think.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Talk of extra charges creeping in reminds me.

Now on National Express coaches you can reserve your seat - for an extra charge. I just wait until the coach departs and move forward to the unoccupied but reserved seats as first stop is near the end of our journey. Coming back to London I sometimes start a new online booking just to see what reserve-able seats are still available - answer most of them. Over time that will change to mandatory seat booking and a charge for it. So the hotels are not the only ones cutting costs but the hotels do seem less likely to charge for essentials than an airline do.

 

[Willie Bee]

There's an offer on, at several Premier Inns, for stays in Jan - March 2025

Two people staying in non-flex rooms (you can not change the booking after being made) can get a free breakfast, usually £10.99 each.

2 nights .. 2 free breakfasts each etc etc

Be quick though, the offer ends at midnight tonight

Link to Premier Inn 'free breakfast' offer is HERE

 

[Starmill]

I reserved a seat with Megabus this year, and then a non-Megabus vehicle turned up, as seems to be booked on many journeys. This meant no labels and I couldn't sit in the seat corresponding to where I'd reserved anyway. Bananas, although helpfully the customer service did refund the £3 or whatever the fee to reserve a seat was.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Nov 2024 ==

There's an offer on, at several Premier Inns, for stays in Jan - March 2025

Two people staying in non-flex rooms (you can not change the booking after being made) can get a free breakfast, usually £10.99 each.

2 nights .. 2 free breakfasts each etc etc

Be quick though, the offer ends at midnight tonight

Link to Premier Inn 'free breakfast' offer is HERE

Good offer if you get a room under £50 as it's then almost a 20% discount against retail price. (most Premier Inn properties charge £11 for breakfast) No changes no refunds makes booking four months into the future a little risky, of course.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

For hotels, I wonder how many people pay for the flexible rare? I did recently for a hotel abroad as it was only £30 more for five days and let me cancel right up to 2pm on the arrival day. But I suspect many people won't pay that extra insurance which in most cases is pure profit for the hotel.

And increasingly I read about overbooking in hotels where even people who paid up front can arrive late and find the room resold. Sure they'll find you a room at another one in their chain or alliance, but that's madness.

I knew it was a thing for bookings where you hasn't paid, but this seems totally unfair.

I am prepared, indeed quite happy, to pay the flexible rate where the difference in price is not that great. I can pay as little as £3 extra at Travelodge with the benefit that I can cancel and fully refund up to 1300 on the day, rather than pay a £10 amendment fee and only be able to move the booking to another date under the Saver rate. I doesn't take many £10 fees incurred to cover the £3 upgrades. At Premier Inn the price difference is much greater. Whether it is pure profit for the hotel depends, I suppose, on how many cancellations they get, how close to the stay date, whether the room can be resold at the last minute and whether that room would have been sold to someone else between a person booking, then cancelling.

On a similar basis I am prepared to upgrade to a Plus Room, for about £5 extra per night just to not have some effalump clomping around in the room above after they come back from their night out. Plus rooms are offered on the top floor of Travelodge. I am not bothered about the Lavazza coffee machine, or the 24-hour free Wi-Fi. The drinking chocolate and Kit Kat I use but they cost under a pound retail.

As for relocations, Travelodge have this in their terms:

4. We operate a relocation policy. If a room is unavailable on arrival (other than due to an event beyond our reasonable control – see paragraph J6 below) then we agree to either:
A) provide a room, and subject to availability any equivalent Extras which you have booked, in another Travelodge hotel and pay the reasonable cost of transport to that alternative hotel or any applicable car park charges; or
B) provide a room in a third party hotel and pay the reasonable cost of transport to that alternative hotel or any applicable car park charges; or
C) at your request or, if in our reasonable opinion there is no suitable alternative hotel accommodation available, cancel your booking and refund you any money you have paid in
advance for the unavailable room(s) including related food & beverage Extras (all other Extras are non-refundable).

Term C concerns me there as I may arrive somewhere when public transport is shutting down for the evening. A full refund because no rooms are available is not much use! And they won't refund other extras!

As for hotels, I'm largely not seeing this sort of thing happen at all, although I've seen people assume it is. The main change in hotels over the last 25 years is that there are hardly any shared bathrooms anymore. That does mean that the bathrooms in basic rooms are more basic than they used to be, but then in comparison they didn't used to be there at all.

Other changes to hotels, like big bottles of soap and no automatic daily cleaning, are happening across brands and cost levels, and for the most part without a chargeable option to bring back what was there before. If anything hotels have gone the other way - the minibar has gone, the pay TV has gone, there is no overpriced phone, and room service is rare.

Ibis, when I used them, always seemed to be about upselling. Limited TV channels for free but loads of payable streaming channels. The hard sell from Travelodge and Premier Inn is to book meals on arrival if you have not already included them. Tiresome to go through to be honest, for the reception staff too I imagine.

Premier Inn clean if your stay is seven nights or longer. I think I would want a refresh, if not a full clean, sooner than that, eg clean towels, clean mugs and the bin emptied. As my stays tend to be a maximum of three nights I'm fine apart from I really would like clean mugs, even if I collected them from reception or the bar / restaurant.

Has anyone else noticed how expensive it is to stay in even budget hotels these next few weeks in city centres where there are popular Christmas markets. It’s not just weekends but throughout the week. Prices in Birmingham are very high with many nights even in the Premier Inns being in excess of £100. If I decide to have any short breaks away in the next few weeks I intend to avoid these popular city locations.

Well I've just booked multiple stays at a Travelodge in Manchester, just past the AO Arena, these were the Saver rates last week. Central and Ancoats were sometimes cheaper, usually a bit but not much more.

Sunday 17/11/2024​	£ 25.99
18/11/2024​	£ 27.99
19/11/2024​	£ 59.99
20/11/2024​	£ 57.99
21/11/2024​	£ 98.99
22/11/2024​	£ 112.99
23/11/2024​	£ 169.99
Sunday 24/11/2024​	£ 25.99
25/11/2024​	£ 31.99
26/11/2024​	£ 130.99
27/11/2024​	£ 126.99
28/11/2024​	£ 166.99
29/11/2024​	£ 219.99
30/11/2024​	£ 219.99
Sunday 01/12/2024​	£ 63.99
02/12/2024​	£ 25.99
03/12/2024​	£ 59.99
04/12/2024​	£ 149.99
05/12/2024​	£ 104.99
06/12/2024​	£ 199.99
07/12/2024​	£ 199.99
Sunday 08/12/2024​	£ 58.99
09/12/2024​	£ 30.99
10/12/2024​	£ 41.99
11/12/2024​	£ 95.99
12/12/2024​	£ 100.99
13/12/2024​	£ 96.99
14/12/2024​	£ 162.99
Sunday 15/12/2024​	£ 96.99
16/12/2024​	£ 31.99
17/12/2024​	£ 24.99
18/12/2024​	£ 29.99
19/12/2024​	£ 24.99
20/12/2024​	£ 185.99
21/12/2024​	£ 157.99
Sunday 22/12/2024​	£ 24.99
23/12/2024​	£ 24.99

 

[Belperpete]

Ibis, when I used them, always seemed to be about upselling. Limited TV channels for free but loads of payable streaming channels.

I take it has been quite a long time since you last stayed in an Ibis then! I can vaguely remember when they charged extra for the adult channels (a not uncommon practice in many hotels in that era), or to access the internet on the TV (a mind-blowingly laborious process) but I think this all ended when the analogue TV signal was switched off and they had to replace all the TV reception boxes.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I take it has been quite a long time since you last stayed in an Ibis then! I can vaguely remember when they charged extra for the adult channels (a not uncommon practice in many hotels in that era), or to access the internet on the TV (a mind-blowingly laborious process) but I think this all ended when the analogue TV signal was switched off and they had to replace all the TV reception boxes.

2012, Doesn't time fly!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 12 Nov 2024 ==

Thanks very much for the info - all appreciated

Just looked at my next Premier Inn booking.
I paid £51 in June on the Standard rate (the least flexible). At the time Advance was £69 and Flex £86. Now the cheapest is Non-Flex at £125, Standard £129 and Flex £134. So definitely worth booking ahead even at the most flexible rates.

 

[ChrisC]

At the end of June this year, whilst meeting up with friends, I stayed for 6 nights at the Premier Inn just outside Saffron Walden in NW Essex. The hotel was next to a small retail park, about 1 mile from the centre of the lovely historic market town. For a Sunday to Saturday stay it was £431 plus extra for breakfasts. I didn’t think that was too bad a price in a rural area which had rather limited alternatives.

We have decided to repeat the meet up next summer, and although I won’t book accommodation until well after Christmas, I had a look at prices at the same hotel. Every week during May and June next year, for the same 6 night stay, the prices listed are between £670 and £700 with Wednesday and Thursday nights priced in excess of £150. Hopefully during the next few months prices will fall considerably. I am certainly not going to pay what with breakfast will be £750+ to stay in a Premier Inn in a relatively quiet rural area. Although a new hotel, it was very average, with minimal staff, a few maintenance issues, and certainly not the best PI breakfast I’ve had. I will be looking at some of the independent hotels and village pubs in the area instead which seem to offer much better value.

 

[STINT47]

At the end of June this year, whilst meeting up with friends, I stayed for 6 nights at the Premier Inn just outside Saffron Walden in NW Essex. The hotel was next to a small retail park, about 1 mile from the centre of the lovely historic market town. For a Sunday to Saturday stay it was £431 plus extra for breakfasts. I didn’t think that was too bad a price in a rural area which had rather limited alternatives.

We have decided to repeat the meet up next summer, and although I won’t book accommodation until well after Christmas, I had a look at prices at the same hotel. Every week during May and June next year, for the same 6 night stay, the prices listed are between £670 and £700 with Wednesday and Thursday nights priced in excess of £150. Hopefully during the next few months prices will fall considerably. I am certainly not going to pay what with breakfast will be £750+ to stay in a Premier Inn in a relatively quiet rural area. Although a new hotel, it was very average, with minimal staff, a few maintenance issues, and certainly not the best PI breakfast I’ve had. I will be looking at some of the independent hotels and village pubs in the area instead which seem to offer much better value.

I am also finding that Premier Inn have increased their prices and are no longer what I would describe as a budget option.

It's definitely worth shopping around as there are often better hotels in the area for a similar price or just a little bit more.

I used to book Premier Inn as default as I knew they would be cheapest and offer a set standard. I'm not sure either of these things can be taken for granted now.

 

[317 forever]

Something that's often puzzled me is why Sunday nights are usually the cheapest nights to stay anywhere (except for Bank Holiday weekends), when one could take a Monday off work as easily as a Friday, where Friday nights are among the most expensive as one would expect. I'd certainly have thought Sunday night would be more expensive that Monday or Tuesday nights.

I've certainly taken advantage for certain trips, particularly going to Bath (my Uni city) while I was still primarily Kent-based, Sunday allowed me to see most of who I wanted to, then took Monday off.

I have sometimes found a Sunday before a Bank Holiday, such as Easter and August Bank Holiday, cheaper than a Friday.

Where I may have been blessed is that I have booked these swiftly after Christmas, when the hotels need income but most of thepublic are skint.

 

[En]

I think Alto-Shaam is the brand name of the ovens, but they are more often used to hot-hold and keep warm in my experience. So chicken might be hold in the warmer and then put of the grill to crisp it before serving.

Merrychef brand make highspeed convection microwave ovens, you see similar at Subway for toasting sandwiches.

Merrychef may make microwaves , they also make very quick convection conventional ovens ( used to reheat the pancakes, heat / cook the cheesy flatbreads, cook the back bacon for breakfasts , as well as cooking Mc Plant and reheating the 'grilled' chicken for grilled chicken wraps / salad boxes on 'main menu' at McDonald's
( McD does have a microwave or two in each kitchen mainly for heating the breakfast porridge pots , occasionally used to defrost pancakes, breakfast muffins or the tortilla wraps if the defrosted stock runs out )

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2024 ==

Yes, I remember paying about £45 for a night at the Waterloo Travelodge in July 2020.

I was looking at a few Travelodges/Premier Inns down Cornwall in a few weeks and they are near the £200 a night mark. This is midweek and not school holidays. Same for Jersey.

both TL and PI demand manage their pricing

which if you are savvy can work to your advantage e.g. some of the 'Wembley' Locations when there isn't anything on at Wembley other than whichever show is on at the troubaour ( was newises, currently Starlight Express)
there's a TL which is by the North Circular between Hangar Lane and Stonebridge park which can be very convenient to get into Central London as long as you don't mind a little bit of a walk ( Hanger lane , Park royal or Alperton,. Stonebridge park all within 20 or so minutes walk ( or you can get a bus from outside the hotel to stonebridge park)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2024 ==

I am also finding that Premier Inn have increased their prices and are no longer what I would describe as a budget option.

It's definitely worth shopping around as there are often better hotels in the area for a similar price or just a little bit more.

I used to book Premier Inn as default as I knew they would be cheapest and offer a set standard. I'm not sure either of these things can be taken for granted now.

PI always seem to be expensive to the point that sometimes you may as well go for a genuine midmarket offering
i also find the zone 1 London TL and PI to be ridiculously expensive , even if they are convenient for central London and if you are travelling by public transport

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2024 ==

I think they've been pouted for years to be honest, but certainly on a stay at a Travelodge. Earlier in the year the egg had run out and someone asked how long it would take to be replenished and the manager's answer was 2 minutes as it's a case of adding hot water to powder. So this confirmed my already active suspicions. If some hotels are breaking the mould and using fresh eggs then good on them, but at the majority of sites it does seem to be a mass-produced powder job bought in in bulk, presumably as it's cheaper.

much as peopel like to slag off McDonald's , often without basis , the post covid UK menu only has 'round eggs' at breakfast which are cooked from fresh throughout breakfast service -with a 20 minute hold time at the most, although most kitchens have a grip on the rate of consumption and the variation is likely to get you even more fresshly cooked eggs ( e.g. a van full of builders all order breakfast wraps or an emergency services driver training course of 12 students and 4 tutors descends - )

 

[johntea]

I do find pricing a bit weird and wonderful at times

Take Travelodge as an example, I was looking to book a room in Harrogate for the night in December

2 Travelodge hotels a whole 0.5 miles apart from each other...for the exact same night one is currently £86.99 and the other £192.99!

I ended up booking my old faithful Premier Inn for £87 in Harrogate described as 'town centre' (actually a 10-15 minute walk from what I would consider the 'town centre' but the benefit is less outside noise!)

 

[takno]

I do find pricing a bit weird and wonderful at times

Take Travelodge as an example, I was looking to book a room in Harrogate for the night in December

2 Travelodge hotels a whole 0.5 miles apart from each other...for the exact same night one is currently £86.99 and the other £192.99!

I ended up booking my old faithful Premier Inn for £87 in Harrogate described as 'town centre' (actually a 10-15 minute walk from what I would consider the 'town centre' but the benefit is less outside noise!)

View attachment 169923

I would guess that a large Christmas party has descended on the more expensive one, so they are down to their last few rooms.

Arguably it would be better for them to just sell out, but if you sell the last room then that puts you in a difficult position if a room turns out to be out of service on the night. if they can get somebody to pay double (because they really want to be in the same hotel as their group) then that will cover the potential cost of relocating another guest.

In fact if they are already sold out, a hundred quid difference will cover the cost of contacting another guest and giving them a large discount to go to the other hotel.

 

[En]

I do find pricing a bit weird and wonderful at times

Take Travelodge as an example, I was looking to book a room in Harrogate for the night in December

2 Travelodge hotels a whole 0.5 miles apart from each other...for the exact same night one is currently £86.99 and the other £192.99!

I ended up booking my old faithful Premier Inn for £87 in Harrogate described as 'town centre' (actually a 10-15 minute walk from what I would consider the 'town centre' but the benefit is less outside noise!)

View attachment 169923

as others have suggested i 'd expect the the expensive one has high occupancy all ready possibly due to a party booking or an event specifically close to it and the 'yield management' has set the prices high for the remaining rooms
you see the same but with a less obvious jump with regard to certain hotels on certain dates ( e.g. near sports stadiums on big matches or big concerts ) near other arenas or where there is an event of some kind on in a location

 

[johntea]

I made a slightly stupid mistake with my stay at Premier Inn of deciding to chuck on the breakfast to my stay when I arrived...only to then get very drunk at the work Christmas party and not being able to force myself out of bed the following morning to consume said breakfast!

Presumably you can just pay for it on the morning anyway

 

[Silver Cobra]

I made a slightly stupid mistake with my stay at Premier Inn of deciding to chuck on the breakfast to my stay when I arrived...only to then get very drunk at the work Christmas party and not being able to force myself out of bed the following morning to consume said breakfast!

Presumably you can just pay for it on the morning anyway

Yes, there's generally no need to pay for the breakfast prior to arrival at the hotel; you can just pay each morning you want it. During my last stay at their Ealing branch in October I paid for breakfast on two of the mornings of my four-night stay (the website only allows you to add breakfast for all days of your stay or zero days, so if you only want it on some days you have to pay on the day).

 

[Belperpete]

I made a slightly stupid mistake with my stay at Premier Inn of deciding to chuck on the breakfast to my stay when I arrived...only to then get very drunk at the work Christmas party and not being able to force myself out of bed the following morning to consume said breakfast!

Presumably you can just pay for it on the morning anyway

Didn't you ask them to refund it? I was quite impressed when Ibis refunded me the cost of a breakfast without me even asking (I had paid for breakfast for two, but the following morning my other half didn't have time).

At some hotels, you can get a special deal if you pay for breakfast in advance.

 

[STINT47]

Unless they're is a significant discount I wouldn't buy breakfast in advance.

I guess they're is the possibility that the restaurant might be full and without buying in advane your turned away but in my experience this rarely happens.

If you however miss breakfast you have lost your money so unless they knock some money off I'll take my chances.

It's a bit like finding their are no advances so I'll buy an anytime return to the hotel. What's the point?

 

[jon81uk]

Unless they're is a significant discount I wouldn't buy breakfast in advance.

I've found at many big hotels (Hilton, Radison and similar) I've found the "menu" price of breakfast is something high like £22 per person, but if you book a bed and breakfast rate it can be down to £10 difference between that and room only.

 

[Howardh]

I'm staying at the Leonardo Seafront in Brighton - 4 nights in January and as a "member" it will cost £330. Indoor pool, and I don't consider them as one of the budget chains - used to be Jury's Inn. Of course there are lots of cheaper options being January, but this is a chance to have an indoor swim on the sea-front! Next time it might be Ibis near the station!

 

[bspahh]

Unless they're is a significant discount I wouldn't buy breakfast in advance.

I guess they're is the possibility that the restaurant might be full and without buying in advane your turned away but in my experience this rarely happens.

If you however miss breakfast you have lost your money so unless they knock some money off I'll take my chances.

It's a bit like finding their are no advances so I'll buy an anytime return to the hotel. What's the point?

I have German colleagues, for whom its easier for their expense claims if breakfast is included with the room rate, than if its in a separate bill.

 

[takno]

I have German colleagues, for whom its easier for their expense claims if breakfast is included with the room rate, than if its in a separate bill.

We used to have a 5 quid allowance for breakfast, unless it was included in the room rate. Given that a Hilton breakfast was 15 quid 25 years ago it was always easiest to get it inclusive.

The really stupid thing is that they'd only give you 7 quid a night to stay with a friend, plus the meagre fiver for breakfast, so it was always better to make them spring a hundred quid a night for a hotel