Budget hotels discussion

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think I've ever seen a Premier Inn breakfast unavailable TBF.

I think that just covers cases where the breakfast room is full when you go down and you can't do another time.

 

[styles]

I think that just covers cases where the breakfast room is full when you go down and you can't do another time.

Yes that's kinda what I was getting at as well - I don't think it's a genuine problem with the offering, it's just some theoretical possibility which may happen once in a blue moon.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes that's kinda what I was getting at as well - I don't think it's a genuine problem with the offering, it's just some theoretical possibility which may happen once in a blue moon.

Indeed. It's not subject to availability in the same way reward flights/nights often are (or Advance fares), it's subject to availability in that there might be extenuating circumstances under which breakfast isn't available (either at all or for everyone who wants it) at a given PI on a given morning and they don't want people suing them as a result of that. Perhaps a bit like on board first class catering on trains.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Indeed. It's not subject to availability in the same way reward flights/nights often are (or Advance fares), it's subject to availability in that there might be extenuating circumstances under which breakfast isn't available (either at all or for everyone who wants it) at a given PI on a given morning and they don't want people suing them as a result of that. Perhaps a bit like on board first class catering on trains.

It is probably much more reliable than on board catering on trains !.
Maybe just one or two items missing unless a kitchen down (flood etc) so as you say just protecting themselves.

 

[jon0844]

Its the Ryanair/Easyjet model, make the initial price very low, but then add-on if you want flexibility, food or a specific seat. Or choose a full-service airline where more is included (although this is rare for short-haul now).

So you could book a hotel where the only option is a bed and breakfast rate where you can cancel up to the day of arrival for say £120 and call them to ask for a specific room for free. Or see a Travelodge for an initial price of £50, then add £25 to make flexible, £15 for breakfast and £30 to select the room for a total of £120, same as the full-service hotel.
Or for those who are happy without the ability to cancel, don't want to select a room and will get breakfast elsewhere, they can pay just £50, saving £70 compared to the full-service hotel on the B&B rate.

They all started this to be able to keep the 'sticker price' low, but now it's a cash grab because people are used to paying for this, that and the other. It's not anything the public push back on - and often people defend the companies and say 'well, they're not charities'.

There is a growing movement to push back on the 'you'll own nothing and be happy' trend and in some countries they are actually taking it serious - although that's really off topic for here.

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You're assuming that everybody has the same opinion about these things as you do.

I don't need a suitcase when I fly to Europe for the weekend, why should I automatically pay in case I might want to bring one? I like being able to reserve an exit row window seat when I book, I like being able to not pay for a streaming service for a month or so until there's something I want to watch, etc etc.

Yeah, that's exactly how it started. Like literally exactly that. People said it was great they didn't need to pay to take a suitcase, then a carry-on bag (put your stuff under the seat) and now you're restricted on the bag size to go under the seat on some (not all) airlines.

It became accepted practice and now they charge for anything and everything, and they'll continue to find new ways to add in fees. At some point they'll get you too.

We will no doubt soon be accepting variable/dynamic pricing in supermarkets. It will start off with prices being discounted at quiet times to encourage people to spread out their shopping and everyone will love it. I saved 10% on my shop by going at 6am! Woo-hoo.

Once accepted, they'll start to see pricing go up 25% on a hot day when everyone wants to get ice cream or BBQ food, and Sundays will be expensive all day....

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2026 ==

Can argue till the cows come home over whether no frills unless you want to pay for them is better or worse. But things like music / video subscriptions I prefer to own my copy and have it in my possession than just pay a subscription for ever more to access it. See how YouTube is slowly becoming subscription as the adverts drive you into submission. I still come across friends who do not understand why YouTube introduced adverts - was it always going to be free - really ?.

The parallel for hotels is loyalty schemes - they are slowly weaning people on to a dependency.

Hotels have had loyalty schemes for ages, and people could get discounts if they stayed loyal. But that's not really enough. I am sure more and more will begin to charge fees to be a member and get certain discounts. Memberships charged monthly that repeat forever more. If you cancel, will you keep your points? Can you be a member and book ahead, cancel and still get that rate or do you get charged a penalty as your membership expired?

Everything-as-a-service is a slippery slope and so many people have no clue how much they're paying, and even those who have a rough idea can't comprehend that all those £1.99 here and £2.99 there payments quickly add up - but none seem to expensive that people see a rush to cancel.

I appreciate some people will have holiday periods on Netflix to save money, but I bet most don't.

YouTube is a joke now. I'm paying for Premium, but I don't care about YouTube music. I just want to pay for no ads. There's no option in the UK for some reason.

 

[Buzby]

The current price of a cooked breakfast at Premier Inn is £10.99. So you just need 147 of those to make the cost of your shareholding back

Or 294 if you usually went to Wetherspoons instead!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

I booked a Travelodge for 3 days this week at £90 for the whole stay, they promoted their choose a room after booking so I had a look and it seemed they wanted between £30-£50 to choose your room which made very little sense!

I thought it was maybe a fiver at most impulse purchase…

Is there a change in room type?
Is it a charge per room per night?

The base cost is £3.50. One I regularly use you pay a few quid extra for the top floor (as a Plus room not SuperRoom). So if your chose a room moved from a mid floor room to a top floor you would perhaps pay the few quid extra and the £3.50.

I've used it a small number of times, to ensure I am on the quiet side when the hotel is by a main road, or on the side which gets sun only in the morning in the heat of summer - so the room is a bit cooler in the evening. I've only ever paid £3.50.

 

[RuddA]

I don't think I've ever seen a Premier Inn breakfast unavailable TBF.

I stayed in one the other week when they were running their free breakfast promotion. They had 64 breakfasts pre booked and placed a notice on the door to say no further slots available.
They didn't seem busy whilst we were eating so I think it may have been due to limited food supply. They also made each breakfast cooked to order rather than a buffet, presumably to limit waste.

 

[Belperpete]

There was a time you could just speak to a hotel to ask for a 'regular' room you liked (yes, I know that in some cases rooms with a sea view are more expensive, but I'm not talking about that as they're usually distinctly different rooms that already have different prices when you book), but obviously everything has to have a cost/value these days - and such fees are great because they're not in the headline price advertised. We allowed airlines to introduce loads of fees because, hey, if you travelled light why should you pay for things you don't want? Well, now you will soon have to travel naked and sit in the aisle without paying some fee.

With Accor, there is an option for you to specify requests when you make a booking. At one hotel that I frequently stay at, my requests for a top floor room are usually acted on.

And as a member of their points-based loyalty scheme, I get early check-in and late check-out free of charge.

 

[Cross City]

I stayed in one the other week when they were running their free breakfast promotion. They had 64 breakfasts pre booked and placed a notice on the door to say no further slots available.
They didn't seem busy whilst we were eating so I think it may have been due to limited food supply. They also made each breakfast cooked to order rather than a buffet, presumably to limit waste.

It’ll be a staffing issue rather than a food availability issue.

When I worked for Whitbread the policy on buffet vs plated breakfasts was that you only did buffet if the hotel was over a certain number of rooms. Some PIs are actually quite small.

 

[Iskra]

There was a time you could just speak to a hotel to ask for a 'regular' room you liked (yes, I know that in some cases rooms with a sea view are more expensive, but I'm not talking about that as they're usually distinctly different rooms that already have different prices when you book), but obviously everything has to have a cost/value these days - and such fees are great because they're not in the headline price advertised. We allowed airlines to introduce loads of fees because, hey, if you travelled light why should you pay for things you don't want? Well, now you will soon have to travel naked and sit in the aisle without paying some fee.

We are our own worst enemies because we've allowed all of this. We have allowed everything we used to buy to become a subscription, and if the hotels haven't done it yet then I'm sure they'll be offering tiered memberships (at a cost, not just loyalty/points based) to get things like preferred room booking and other things we used to be able to just ask for. Again, it keeps the advertised prices down but soon nobody will be paying those prices.

If you simply ask nicely at the desk on check in, you will probably find that requests are accomodated. Obviously, this is not always practical such as if the hotel is full or you are one of the last guests to arrive.

 

[jon0844]

With Accor, there is an option for you to specify requests when you make a booking. At one hotel that I frequently stay at, my requests for a top floor room are usually acted on.

And as a member of their points-based loyalty scheme, I get early check-in and late check-out free of charge.

Would you pay for the room if they introduced a charge, or for the loyalty scheme if it became a monthly subscription fee?

 

[styles]

If you simply ask nicely at the desk on check in, you will probably find that requests are accomodated. Obviously, this is not always practical such as if the hotel is full or you are one of the last guests to arrive.

There's a Travelodge I use every year for about a week, and they just have it noted in their system which room to put me in now. I usually had the doggo with me and the room is far away in the corner without an adjoining room, so she can be a little bit noisier playing with her toys etc!

 

[Belperpete]

Would you pay for the room if they introduced a charge, or for the loyalty scheme if it became a monthly subscription fee?

No.

 

[RuddA]

It’ll be a staffing issue rather than a food availability issue.

When I worked for Whitbread the policy on buffet vs plated breakfasts was that you only did buffet if the hotel was over a certain number of rooms. Some PIs are actually quite small.

There were staff in chefs uniform walking around talking to customers and giving out review cards, and an area where a buffet could be put out at the kitchen.

Lady on Front of House did mention it was busier than usual due to the promotion. This was on a Sunday morning in outer London, do they usually expect it to be a quiet day?

 

[Cross City]

Yeah, that's exactly how it started. Like literally exactly that. People said it was great they didn't need to pay to take a suitcase, then a carry-on bag (put your stuff under the seat) and now you're restricted on the bag size to go under the seat on some (not all) airlines.

But why should I pay for things I don't want or need?

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There were staff in chefs uniform walking around talking to customers and giving out review cards, and an area where a buffet could be put out at the kitchen.

Lady on Front of House did mention it was busier than usual due to the promotion. This was on a Sunday morning in outer London, do they usually expect it to be a quiet day?

They may not have had enough FOH staff.

Sunday was always the busiest morning for breakfasts, a lot of families (many of which were locals rather than hotel guests).

Like I said, it's all to do with the amount of rooms or even the amount of rooms sold whether a buffet is done or not. Management don't like it when a buffet is put of when the hotel is blow a certain amount of occupancy as the wastage is MUCH higher on a buffet vs a plated breakfast.

 

[The exile]

We will no doubt soon be accepting variable/dynamic pricing in supermarkets.

Once accepted, they'll start to see pricing go up 25% on a hot day when everyone wants to get ice cream or BBQ food, and Sundays will be expensive all day....

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Mar 2026 ==

There’s a reason they’re going for electronic shelf-edge price labels!

 

[jon0844]

But why should I pay for things I don't want or need?

Because eventually they'll charge for every single thing you can think of. Only a handful of times have I flown (or taken Eurostar) with nothing at all other than my wallet, keys and phone. So I've not needed to pay for the suitcase that was once free, or a carry-on bag that was once free, or stuff a bag under the seat but make sure my bag strictly matches the dimensions even if I have a rucksack that I can squash up.

But even if I have nothing with me, they'll still make me pay to not get a middle seat at the back of the plane. Of course, I don't have to pay anything and can sit in an awful seat for a few hours...

Obviously suitcases I get, but once we started charging some crazy fees for carry-on bags, and then imposed restrictions on underseat storage (not all airlines yet) it became clear that everyone will be hit eventually.

Who remembers when they charged additional fees for paying on a credit card, but to get around rules they offered one particular card at no charge so they could say they didn't charge more? Who can remember when they got funny about people bringing duty free shopping on board? The regulators are doing their best to save you but you seem to think it's fine if it doesn't affect you.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Mar 2026 ==

There’s a reason they’re going for electronic shelf-edge price labels!

Absolutely.

 

[Kite159]

.

Management don't like it when a buffet is put of when the hotel is blow a certain amount of occupancy as the wastage is MUCH higher on a buffet vs a plated breakfast

And I dare say usage is greater than it's buffet style compared to plated with some people putting more stuff on their plates than they would generally get served by someone in the kitchen.

To get their money's worth so to speak

 

[Steddenm]

Have just got back from Travelodge Brighton Seafront and have to say, that although it was a Plus Room on the top floor, it wasn't the cleanest.

The amount of dust in the extractor fan in the bathroom was horrific and the back of the TV was also caked in dust. There was also empty nail varnish bottles under the bed.

Only one lift was working as they had a sensor issue on it which was fun in the morning(!) The vending machines didn't work (card system offline apparently).

It was a Seaview room - well it would've been if you could see out of the filthy window. The heating didn't work and a message on the heaters display read "detected open window". It wasn't.

I did mention it to the staff and basically they shrugged.

Don't think I'll book it again.

 

[jon0844]

Have just got back from Travelodge Brighton Seafront and have to say, that although it was a Plus Room on the top floor, it wasn't the cleanest.

The amount of dust in the extractor fan in the bathroom was horrific and the back of the TV was also caked in dust. There was also empty nail varnish bottles under the bed.

Only one lift was working as they had a sensor issue on it which was fun in the morning(!) The vending machines didn't work (card system offline apparently).

It was a Seaview room - well it would've been if you could see out of the filthy window. The heating didn't work and a message on the heaters display read "detected open window". It wasn't.

I did mention it to the staff and basically they shrugged.

Don't think I'll book it again.

I've just thought of a new charge they can add when booking. A 'clean fee'. I mean, why should cleaning be included in the cost when not everyone cares about how clean a window is or if there's rubbish left on the floor?

 

[adc82140]

I've been staying at the Torquay Travelodge for work. 25 quid a night. Hotel is clean enough, and it has a "restaurant" that'll get you an acceptable meal.

They have a chargeable car park, but you can simply park.on the road outside for free, unrestricted.

However, last week I had an appalling night, someone seemed to have just booked a room to have a party. All night it went on. There was nothing that the person on the desk could do about it. Doors slamming all night etc etc. I think I'll have to go not quite so budget in future.

 

[jon0844]

However, last week I had an appalling night, someone seemed to have just booked a room to have a party. All night it went on. There was nothing that the person on the desk could do about it. Doors slamming all night etc etc. I think I'll have to go not quite so budget in future.

I think they probably can do something, like kick them all out of the room with no refund - but I get that one person in a hotel overnight isn't going to be able to do that on their own.

 

[TheSmiths82]

I think they probably can do something, like kick them all out of the room with no refund - but I get that one person in a hotel overnight isn't going to be able to do that on their own.

I am guessing this mainly affects the smaller hotels. I've stayed in a few Travelodge's in London that have security guards/bouncers in the reception area. I recently had an issue in a Travelodge in Leeds with a homeless person staying there. He kept wondering round the corridors and while I am sure he was harmless it a little off putting as he was just in the corridor all the time. I did ask the reception if he was OK and they just said "he is homeless". I am not sure why that means he has to wonder round the corridors all day though. I am sure he must have been bored, but surely he could have sat in the bar or something.

A Travelodge in Liverpool I recently stayed in didn't have the cleanest room either. The mirror had lots of smudges on it as if a guest had tried to clean up some mess badly. Generally though I actually find Travelodge rooms to be some of the cleanest out of all the budget hotel chains, but the other guests can sometimes be an issue.

 

[Trackman]

I've been staying at the Torquay Travelodge for work. 25 quid a night. Hotel is clean enough, and it has a "restaurant" that'll get you an acceptable meal.

They have a chargeable car park, but you can simply park.on the road outside for free, unrestricted.

However, last week I had an appalling night, someone seemed to have just booked a room to have a party. All night it went on. There was nothing that the person on the desk could do about it. Doors slamming all night etc etc. I think I'll have to go not quite so budget in future.

How many were in there?
If it was over booked, surely it would be fire reg?
I would have asked to be moved.

TBH, never had an issue with Travelodge and definitely VFM.

 

[317 forever]

I've had good and bad rooms, but it's not always obvious which they might be unless you've experienced that room before. It's not like picking seats where there are usually obvious attributes you can get from the seating plan like more legroom, by the luggage rack, good window view etc. I think this will be a niche pursuit, though as noted there's one Premier Inn where I would pay to do it in most of them all the rooms are basically the same. I think they would sell far more by doing what PI mostly is doing and offering "sea view room" or "city view room" etc for an extra tenner, because these are the sort of attributes people like and will pay a bit extra for.

The one thing I wish PI would do is offer a late-checkout option. TL do but I don't overly like TLs. It's much easier to work from the hotel for the morning if you can extend checkout until 2pm (12 is a bit early in case you're thrown a lunchtime meeting), and provided they only offer it for a subset of rooms it isn't going to cause them a problem to do so. I could see them doing something like changing the default to 11 rather than 12 and making it an extra 20 quid to stay until 2, and I think overall most of the time I would book the 2 then. Between 11 and 12 is not that important to me but an extension to early afternoon really is.

The other thing that would be handy would be allowing you to lengthen a cheap-rate stay without having to do it as a separate booking and thus risk having to swap rooms. They usually can line them up on the day but not always if it's full depending on who has already checked in to which room.

In 2024 I booked a night at a PI then an additional night as I then found out I had an extra day off work.

Upon check-in I mentioned the 2nd night, they did guarantee me the same room without having to checkout and check back in, but they still couldn't confirm my arrival for the 2nd stay until the morning.

 

[Willie Bee]

Any suggestions for a good hotel in Cambridge please ?

I usually stay at premier Inns

 

[ChrisC]

Any suggestions for a good hotel in Cambridge please ?

I usually stay at premier Inns

A couple of years ago I stayed at the Ibis right by Cambridge Station. I was very impressed. It’s a quite a modern hotel and was very well maintained and clean. I especially remember how good the breakfast was and if I ever visit Cambridge again it would be my first choice. It’s quite a walk from the station into the city centre but there are frequent buses.

 

[317 forever]

Any suggestions for a good hotel in Cambridge please ?

I usually stay at premier Inns

I stayed at Premier Inn Cambridge A14 J32 just before Christmas. It was reasonable, and around £26 cheaper than city centre ones.

Mind you, some of that saving was offset by a need to have dinner there, as there was a shortage of good takeaways in the area, and I didn't want a pizza having had one at home the previous evening.

 

[Cross City]

Because eventually they'll charge for every single thing you can think of.

But if you’re using a full service airline you’re already being charged for every single thing you can think of. There’s just no option to not pay for things you don’t need.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Mar 2026 ==

.

And I dare say usage is greater than it's buffet style compared to plated with some people putting more stuff on their plates than they would generally get served by someone in the kitchen.

To get their money's worth so to speak

Honestly the amount of food people take and then not eat is disgraceful.