mhbeverly

We are considering taking our children to England for a week in April (yes, I know but we're on a budget and school break constraints) and wanted to know if anyone has ever stayed at a Travelodge in or around London and Bath? They have some INCREDIBLE room rates but you what they say about a good deal . . . . Please??

flanneruk

Travelodges are the basic reliable but hardly luxurious places we all stay in when on a budget.

They crop up in all kinds of strange places though - places you've hardly heard of until you're driving somewhere and there's a Travelodge where you can't imagine why anyone would want to be there.

Places that aren't at all squalid or unpleasasnt - but just rather on the edge of the world as we all know it. Especially around London. Since they're often geared to car drivers, they can be very inconvenient for public transport.

Not all of them, by any means. Check the postcode of any London-area one you're looking at on the journey planner at the TFL website. That'll throw up a detailed map of the location, with clear information about how far buses and tubes are.

alanRow

They are clean, reliable, the shower produces vast quantities of hot water & the toilet flushes

They tend to be set up more for car users & the place next door for food is invariably poor quality & high cost.

I once spent 2 weeks in one at £10 per night and had 2 large beds & a sofa.

The TV has the 5 basic channels but I bought a cheap Freeview receiver to plug in between aerial & TV so I could watch the digital channels & listen to the radio

alya

We stayed at one near Taunton and found 'Adult' magazines under the spare pillows on a high shelf - not the usual benefits of staying at a Travelodge

We received a free nights stay when we complained to the front desk and followed up the complaint with head office.

As it has already been said they are basic but clean (I think you will be suprised how clean for the money) but you will need transport.

I would say go for it!

kopp

Hello mhbeverly,

In summer 2005, we took a driving trip through the English countryside, and we had pre-booked and pre-paid several Travelodge rooms before we left. The value was terrific - seems to me around 26L per night for 2 adults. We had a comfortable night's rest, which was all that we needed as we'd hop in the car and leave the next morning. As I recall, there was a double bed and also a pull-out sofabed, plus the ensuite bathroom which oftentimes had a tub as well as a shower combo, even coffee and tea making supplies in the room.

I can't remember exactly where Bath is. But I just looked up my itinerary and it shows the Travelodge's we stayed at were in Warminster, Chippenham, Cheltenham, and Toddington. Good, clean experiences in all.

Happy travels!

walkinaround

consistent and good value for money.

a charming old place that is well looked after and carefully modernised can be very expensive. a "charming" old place that has not at all been modernised and is a bit rough can be a nightmare. a bad british hotel can be very bad.

if you're on a tight budget, it's often better to just go for something characterless like a travelodge where you have a good chance at a decent shower, reasonably effective noise control, comfortable temperature and everything reasonably clean and in working order.

alanRow

< but you will need transport >

No you don't, there are city centre Travelodges in a number of UK towns & cities - London, Edinburgh, Newcastle for example.

laurie_ann

You might look into the articles archive on www.budgettravelonline.com titled "Low-Priced Hotel Rooms All Over London". This link should work to get to it: http://www.budgettravelonline.com/bt...060400739.html.

I believe they did a feature in the last couple of years about the "budget" chain hotels that are springing up in London. They cited them as a very good value and actually well located and especially friendly for families.

PatrickLondon

If they're cheap, it's for two possible reasons: they're somewhere where the land values are a bit lower, and they cut costs.

I stayed in one in Newcastle. Clean, efficient, impersonal, but apart from whoever cleans the room when you're not there, you look after yourself - tea and coffee making facilities in the room (personally I always think that's a good thing anyway), slot machines for cold drinks and snacks, carry your own luggage, find your own way around.

As it happens, I suffered from some other guests (but this was Newcastle on a Saturday night - youngsters out on the lash, shouting and banging doors till all hours): to get someone to do something about it, I had to go downstairs to look for the night security staff myself.

carylspall

We used Travelodges and Travel Inns when our kids were small.it made the holiday cash last a lot longer.

They are every bit as clean as hotels are and better value.

Pumbavu

Travelodges are fine. Stayed in one at the weekend. Clean, the staff were friendly. A bit better than your Motel 6, but similar. I wont stay in a Premier Travelinn again.

Customer Services and Customer care is the worst I've ever come across

kello

We've been to the UK several times and have stayed in Travelodges in quite a few places. Always had a nice clean room and a good experience -- though I don't recommend dining at the adjacent restaurant that are at most of them(used to be 'Little Chef' is it still?) Locations weren't always ideal for walking out of your hotel and sightseeing, but easy enough to get to the place of interest by car (and when in London I remember being able to use public transport).

highflyer

We've often stayed in them and find the rooms roomy enough for a family of 4.
Highly recommend the one in Bath. We had a big room overlooking the street very close to the actual centre and just steps from restaurants etc. The car park was VERY small and a short walk from the entrance. We were warned that it fills up before the Travelodge does.

Some of the London ones have reviews on Tripadvisor and sound pretty worn. Check rates at the Novotel Waterloo. We stayed there in July and for 20 quid more than a travellodge we got buffet breakfast for 4 included. Great rooms too!