Budget hotels discussion

[jon81uk]

Hilton have also trialed NFC door locks, using the app. I haven’t ever got it to work and they seem to have mostly abandoned it too.

Most of the door key systems use Bluetooth not NFC. Mainly because Apple didn't used to allow apps to use the NFC chip as they wanted to ensure Apple pay seemed trusted and secure.
The Hilton one we used several years ago was definitly Bluetooth or similar as you didn't need to get close enough to touch the door.

 

[RuddA]

We stayed at the PremierInn Exchange Square Birmingham earlier this week. The room wasn't ready as a family room so we were asked to wait for 15 minutes whilst they prepared the sofa bed and smaller bed. Without us asking they offered us free breakfasts for the following morning.
There were only 2 mugs and 2 sachets of coffee in the room. I went to reception and asked for a glass for our daughter which was quickly provided but there were no further coffees available, the hotel had none left in stock! They had rationed their remaining stock when preparing the rooms and were waiting for a delivery.

Premierinn at Bristol Cribbs causeway.
Brought my own coffee this time so no problem there, but no further milk pots available. Reception provided a glass of milk instead.

Cost cutting or supply issues?

 

[D6130]

Stayed at the Premier Inn, Exeter St Davids last weekend. No issues - apart from the price (£108 for a Friday night) - and the wash hand basin mixer tap unit was of the new taller variety, making it possible to wash/rinse your hands under running water.

 

[johntea]

Is it just me or is it virtually impossible to have a shower/bath in a Travelodge without managing to flood the bathroom floor in the process?!

 

[Belperpete]

Is it just me or is it virtually impossible to have a shower/bath in a Travelodge without managing to flood the bathroom floor in the process?!

Certainly in some of the refurbished TLs, the shower curtains seem a tad short, so that there is very little overlap with the lip of the shower tray. Meaning that if you accidentally nudge the curtain, you then get a large pool of water on the bathroom floor.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Is it just me or is it virtually impossible to have a shower/bath in a Travelodge without managing to flood the bathroom floor in the process?!

You have to tuck the curtain inside the tray, then let the curtain drain into the tray after your shower. But then it gets soap and shower gel goo on it which accounts for the smell in many hotel bathrooms (certainly not exclusive to Travelodge). Some water still escapes though. A bath is generally impossible as i) rooms are often shower only, and ii) where there is a bath it is generally child sized - so no long relaxing soak for adults! That is another advantage of Premier Inn over Travelodge, alongside air conditioning.

Plus, Premier Inn provide a bath mat to stand on whereas Travelodge don't - unless you get a spare towel to use for that purpose,

 

[185143]

They can brand it "capsules", but it's clearly just a hostel with fancier partitions. The problem is that you get no sound insulation, but the illusion of privacy means that people get up to stuff within easy hearing range. Judging from reviews of similar places the capsules also have quite bad problems with ventilation and getting overheated.

They certainly do.

I'm currently staying in the Zedwell capsule ho(s)tel mentioned above. £72 for 4 nights over a weekend is an absolute bargain. The last two nights it's been warm in the capsule, but tonight it's just oppressively hot. There is a fan but it seems to have very little effect. The showers aren't great either.

Plus this morning I was woken by security at about 7AM as apparently the smoke detector had activated in my capsule. I'm a non smoker and don't vape either so we were both at a loss on that one.

A shame as the concept is very good. If I need to stay in London for a night or maybe two I'd stay here again. But as there's an EasyHotel and several Travelodges available within the Travelcard zones for £35 tonight, I think I'll be moving in the morning.

 

[Citybreak1]

I got stung by a deal. Free breakfast at Premier inn the catch you can’t move the date like normal bookings and railway engineering works look set to disrupt my journey. So yes I will not be in a hurry to take up these email offers next time

 

[bspahh]

I got stung by a deal. Free breakfast at Premier inn the catch you can’t move the date like normal bookings and railway engineering works look set to disrupt my journey. So yes I will not be in a hurry to take up these email offers next time

Try phoning Premier Inn, and don't just rely on the terms and conditions in the booking. I had a booking which was not supposed to be flexible. I had to change my plans, and they rebooked it for a couple of months later, and also sent a refund for the difference. I might have just been lucky, but I appreciate their flexibility.

 

[philjo]

Which is the best hotel close to Milton Keynes station? The Premier Inn s nearby and there is also a Leonardo with similar prices.
Would be for room only as I would be walking to the station to catch a railtour from MK so eating breakfast on the train.
Thanks.

 

[route101]

Which is the best hotel close to Milton Keynes station? The Premier Inn s nearby and there is also a Leonardo with similar prices.
Would be for room only as I would be walking to the station to catch a railtour from MK so eating breakfast on the train.
Thanks.

I have stayed at the Premier Inn near to Milton Keynes Station. Its about a 5 minute walk through the old bus station and a underpass. I have found this hotel has reasonable prices and handy for starting the Saturday in the SE.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Which is the best hotel close to Milton Keynes station? The Premier Inn s nearby and there is also a Leonardo with similar prices.
Would be for room only as I would be walking to the station to catch a railtour from MK so eating breakfast on the train.
Thanks.

I'd go Premier Inn, there are a few within easy reach of the station, pick the cheapest one. Leonardo I find to be a bit expensive and not very good for the price, though if it's cheaper than PI I'd go with it. Travelodge is, er, Travelodge, the one nearest the station is a bit old so you might want to go for the one up the hill next to the Leonardo.

 

[philjo]

I'd go Premier Inn, there are a few within easy reach of the station, pick the cheapest one. Leonardo I find to be a bit expensive and not very good for the price, though if it's cheaper than PI I'd go with it. Travelodge is, er, Travelodge, the one nearest the station is a bit old so you might want to go for the one up the hill next to the Leonardo.

Thanks.

 

[cactustwirly]

Which is the best hotel close to Milton Keynes station? The Premier Inn s nearby and there is also a Leonardo with similar prices.
Would be for room only as I would be walking to the station to catch a railtour from MK so eating breakfast on the train.
Thanks.

Leonardo all day long

 

[johntea]

Just staying in Scarborough at the South Bay Premier Inn and they’ve expanded it since my last visit many years ago into Huntriss Row, as a result it’s a bit like the Crystal Maze finding your room

Especially when one of the lifts is Button 0 for Restaurant Button 1 for rooms 1-50 Button 2 for rooms 100-150 and so on

The check in process was extremely fast with the self service machines (although I also ‘checked in’ on the app prior to arrival), just scan a QR code, hold a keycard up to program it and away I go - I wouldn’t be surprised if they start at least trialling phone keycards in the near future

 

[MartinC]

Premier Inn seem to be pushing their luck on prices. We have always used them for trips on Eurostar, but this year, the price exceeded £200. Result, a studio flat less than 200 yards away, at two thirds of the price. Just as comfortable and even tea/coffee and toiletries and food delivery.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Premier Inn seem to be pushing their luck on prices. We have always used them for trips on Eurostar, but this year, the price exceeded £200. Result, a studio flat less than 200 yards away, at two thirds of the price. Just as comfortable and even tea/coffee and toiletries and food delivery.

Yes, I've noticed them doing that too. Ibis and other Accor brands are often better value now, and I find them slightly better.

 

[cactustwirly]

Premier Inn seem to be pushing their luck on prices. We have always used them for trips on Eurostar, but this year, the price exceeded £200. Result, a studio flat less than 200 yards away, at two thirds of the price. Just as comfortable and even tea/coffee and toiletries and food delivery.

There's been a few occasions where the Courtyard near Oxford has been the same price as the Premier Inn opposite

 

[route101]

Premier Inn seem to be pushing their luck on prices. We have always used them for trips on Eurostar, but this year, the price exceeded £200. Result, a studio flat less than 200 yards away, at two thirds of the price. Just as comfortable and even tea/coffee and toiletries and food delivery.

Demand responsive pricing I guess. Look at the website to check price, come back later its gone up, check the next day its sold out.

 

[philjo]

The Premier Inn in Southport quoted £660 for 2 rooms including breakfast for 2 nights in August.
We used a B&B which was much better and over £250 cheaper.

 

[Willie Bee]

In January this year, my wife and I got a Saturday and Sunday night at the Inverness Premier Inn for £78, which was a real bargain .. in the summer it can cost £200+ per night at the same hotel

 

[Bletchleyite]

Demand responsive pricing I guess. Look at the website to check price, come back later its gone up, check the next day its sold out.

Indeed. It is the model the budget hotels use and always have to some extent. Rack rates are no longer a thing (and if they were they'd be set to some silly level like Anytime tickets). The main rates people pay are a bit more like Advance fares - typically changeable (sometimes at a fee, but always plus difference in cost, though curiously PI refund the difference if it's cheaper so if you are going to abandon one it's worth looking for the cheapest rate a few months out to change it to before abandoning it) but not refundable.

The Premier Inn in Southport quoted £660 for 2 rooms including breakfast for 2 nights in August.
We used a B&B which was much better and over £250 cheaper.

With PI and TL it's often the case that shopping around a bit (if the travel is an option) can get you a very cheap price. Touristy places like Southport and Blackpool often cost next to nothing during the week/outside school holidays, while places where work travel is the only real market (e.g. Wigan and Preston other than during the Grand National when the Liverpool demand tends to spread out a bit) often cost next to nothing on weekends. I find Accor hotels have a bit less variation of that nature but it does still exist.

The one that surprised me was getting Hilton Park Services TL for £19.99 booked on the same day. That was very much a distress purchase (far too tired to carry on, booked from the services car park adjacent to it then went and checked in immediately) and I had expected to be caned for well over a hundred - and would have paid it too given the circumstances. Maybe people who need it in that kind of context tend to just walk in and pay at the desk and so get caned for full price that way? It was a Sunday night which is one of the cheapest nights of the week for hotels (tourists gone home, business travellers not arrived yet - Thursday is the same day but the other way round) but even so I'd expected motorway services ones to be priced up as most users will be making a distress purchase.

 

[Mojo]

Not sure if it's just me and that my standards have declined or whether things have got better but I've stayed in a few Ibis budgets recently and have found them to be perfectly adequate, clean and comfortable. The third "bunk bed" at a right angle in the room makes things a bit oppressive given how small the rooms tend to be, but other than that I had no issues. I'd even stayed at two that had rooftop swimming pools, not what you'd expect at budget brands!

There was talk upthread about NFC / unlocking doors by App, one of the Ibis budgets had a Pin pad that you had to use.

 

[takno]

Not sure if it's just me and that my standards have declined or whether things have got better but I've stayed in a few Ibis budgets recently and have found them to be perfectly adequate, clean and comfortable. The third "bunk bed" at a right angle in the room makes things a bit oppressive given how small the rooms tend to be, but other than that I had no issues. I'd even stayed at two that had rooftop swimming pools, not what you'd expect at budget brands!

There was talk upthread about NFC / unlocking doors by App, one of the Ibis budgets had a Pin pad that you had to use.

The Ibis brands are all over the place in terms of quality. Most of the budgets I've stayed in have been pretty awful, mostly because the toilet is in a tiny cupboard, the washbasin is in the room and there's no sockets by the bed. They've been priced at about half the next cheapest hotel though, which means they're good enough for a night. Meanwhile the only premium thing about the Ibis Styles in Leeds is the pricing.

I've never encountered any Ibis with a cross-wise bunk, although I'm staying in a Cabinn Hotel this week in Denmark which has that configuration.

 

[cactustwirly]

The Ibis brands are all over the place in terms of quality. Most of the budgets I've stayed in have been pretty awful, mostly because the toilet is in a tiny cupboard, the washbasin is in the room and there's no sockets by the bed. They've been priced at about half the next cheapest hotel though, which means they're good enough for a night. Meanwhile the only premium thing about the Ibis Styles in Leeds is the pricing.

I've never encountered any Ibis with a cross-wise bunk, although I'm staying in a Cabinn Hotel this week in Denmark which has that configuration.

I guess they have looser brand standards
Stayed in some fantastic modern Ibis hotels

Would be curious if anyone has stayed in a Wyndham hotel like Day's Inn or Ramada

 

[takno]

I guess they have looser brand standards
Stayed in some fantastic modern Ibis hotels

Would be curious if anyone has stayed in a Wyndham hotel like Day's Inn or Ramada

The Ibis Styles in Warsaw is absolutely fantastic. You can usually tell from the reviews and the pictures tbh.

I've stayed in both Days Inn and Ramada, but it's going back 10 years or so and in the US, so I can't remember anything about it. Never really checked them in the UK.

 

[cactustwirly]

Staying in a Moxy currently, very impressive!

Price was slightly more than a Premier Inn but not significantly more so
Much nicer hotel decor, hotel has a nice bar. It's like a cross between an Ibis hotel and a generator hostel
Paid £10 extra a night for a substantial breakfast buffet

 

[dorsetdesiro]

The Guardian currently has an article about overbookings by Travelodge which seems notorious for this more than Premier Inn and others.

This happened to myself only once a decade ago as I was booked in at Sleaford then somehow was moved to a service area by the busy A1 near Grantham.

Did this happen to any of you also how often, have other hotel chains, other than TL, done the same to you?

 

[Buzby]

Yep, happened to me a decade ago - turned up at 2000 at TL’s Dublin Airport site only to find `I’d been overbooked. In spite of this, they provided and paid for a taxi to take me to a sister site off the N1 north of Swords. The property was OK, but I really dislike when this happens.

 

[johntea]

I have heard of the potential before - having said that I once booked a Travelodge in London for Sunday - Thursday and didn't actually arrive until 8am on Monday, no issues at all checking in (I was at least half expecting them to make me wait until 3pm!)