Hotel Chains Discussion

[Flying Snail]

At the risk of derailing this topic (I'll split it off if there's any further discussion generated) - in unknown locations I totally agree (Unless you've jailbroken the device, both recent versions of Android and iOS will ask for permission to share data with anything you plug into but its a very easy prompt to miss, with no confirmation prompt), but in chain hotels I think this is less of an issue, their USB sockets will pretty much always just be a module ultimately linked into the same power source as the nearby 3-pin plugs. I do tend to use my 3 pin to USB converter but that's more to do with charge speed than any security risk.

The biggest risk if there was a computer at the other end trying to send data that's trying to trigger a response back from your device would be connecting a laptop, and most of these aren't powered by USB (at least not at the typical 5v voltage a standard bedside USB outlet will provide).

If you want to be really paranoid about it but still use random USB charge ports then the simplest solution is to use a cable that is incapable of data transfer. Some of the cheapo ones I have seem to come pre-installed with this "security feature".

 

[jumble]

Moderator note - split from:

Getting to Glasgow for 9am on Monday 20th June

Just thought I’d open this up to the forum in case I’m missing anything. I need to get to Glasgow City centre by 9.00am on Monday 20th June. I live in Milton Keynes ideally placed on the West Coast mainline, normally this isn’t a problem and I would head down to Watford the night before and...

www.railforums.co.uk

To be fair some Travelodges are utterly awful and none are what I'd call nice. Out of respect for your staff it might be better to at least allow Premier Inn unless the difference is utterly swingeing - the two are like chalk and cheese. Travelodge is often poorly maintained and dirty, whereas Premier Inn rooms are usually* to the standard of a Marriott or similar, you just don't have the extras like a gym/pool and trouser press.

I think it's at least right that business travel should offer a quality of accommodation equivalent to at home (remember it's not, for most, a free holiday, but rather an impingement to start with), and while homes vary most professionals will have a far nicer bedroom than most Travelodges.

At least we don't have the American practice of making people share rooms on work trips here. I would flat refuse to travel if anyone even suggested that.

* Give or take some very old ones, but they are progressively being refurbished, and even the old ones aren't bad, just a bit, er, old.

I much prefer the idea Travelodge to Premier inns as Premier inn do not allow me to stay and I do love my holidays
Regards Summer the Cocker Spaniel

 

[rg177]

I've noticed this too. You used to be able to easily get one of the central London ones for £50 a night but these days they seem to be £100 plus.

I remember doing an ALR back in August 2017 and literally booking rooms for £30 a night for the same day at the South Kensington one. I even walked in one night and paid £42 cash without pre-booking!

 

[Trackman]

I tend to avoid PIs that are conversions (as Glasgow CX is) and go for the purpose built ones.

I try to avoid them since my experience at the one near the arena in Manchester about 20 years ago (it's been revamped since)
It was ghastly. It was like something out of a horror film, rooms were like prison cells with the view plus I could the plumbing all night if someone flushed the loo. It was terrible.
Once I went to a wedding in Watford, guess what Mrs T booked.. A Premier Inn. It looked great inside and out, it was only when we went to bed to open the windows (it was boiling) that you couldn't, not even an inch, so I had put the 'not so silent' air-con all night and felt as sick as a dog in the morning and was coughing for England.

I remember doing an ALR back in August 2017 and literally booking rooms for £30 a night for the same day at the South Kensington one. I even walked in one night and paid £42 cash without pre-booking!

I always wonder if hotel prices have gone up a lot or is it just me.

 

[Kite159]

EasyHotel prices have gone up recently, along with the other chains though.

Sometimes the one in Croydon is more than the Premier Inn, especially if you want the flexible rate (which I've noticed the premium between fixed and flexible seems to be a lot more than it used to be).

Although the price does include a free workout when the lifts breakdown and you get put on the 7th floor.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Conversions can be quite interesting though - this Travelodge in Scarborough was fascinating! I had a huge room...

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Carlisle is odd like that, the rooms are massive. I think it is a converted telephone exchange.

 

[XAM2175]

The one intriguing quirk was my room was incredibly large, being an unusual triangular shape at the corner of the building.

I was given a room at the Travelodge in East Croydon that was comically oversized for no apparent reason at all - eventually from the floor plan I worked out that it included space that on the lower floors was a cable riser. I'm not sure it was an improvement because the extra space was entirely unused and just made the bed and other furniture look even smaller.

It also had tiny windows with their sills over 5' above the floor, and on the north side looked onto a construction site, but it was at least actually cheap

Carlisle is odd like that, the rooms are massive. I think it is a converted telephone exchange.

I have to confess that almost makes it interesting to me

 

[Bletchleyite]

It was one of the nicer ones I've stayed in, though the bed etc seemed to "rattle round" due to the amount of space, though I don't know if all rooms are like that.

It is one of the few I'd go back to, though.

 

[edwin_m]

I was given a room at the Travelodge in East Croydon that was comically oversized for no apparent reason at all - eventually from the floor plan I worked out that it included space that on the lower floors was a cable riser. I'm not sure it was an improvement because the extra space was entirely unused and just made the bed and other furniture look even smaller.

It also had tiny windows with their sills over 5' above the floor, and on the north side looked onto a construction site, but it was at least actually cheap

That one went on my "never again" list. I've a feeling it was because I visited on a really hot day, it had large south facing windows with no aircon so choice of roasting or being deafened. Ones I'd stay at again include Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester and the newish one between Aldgate and Aldgate East.

 

[SHD]

Body lotion makes for a very good shoe cream substitute - much better than the dodgy fast-polish sponges found in some upscale hotels.

 

[XAM2175]

That one went on my "never again" list. I've a feeling it was because I visited on a really hot day, it had large south facing windows with no aircon so choice of roasting or being deafened.

Yeah I was there during that mild spell last December, so obviously not quite as challenging either way.

 

[All Line Rover]

Premier Inn have some fantastic architects and consultants imo - the sound-proofing in their purpose-built hotels is incredible. Noticeably better than a new-build Premier Inn where PI has simply leased floors in a larger building designed by an external architect.

Staffing levels and customer service can be lacking, however. Cleanliness is fine, though.

the newish one between Aldgate and Aldgate East.

Nice building. I'm surprised they weren't allowed to build taller considering planning permission was granted for the enormous Unite skyscrapers now being built next door. Student flat on 30th floor, anyone?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Premier Inn have some fantastic architects and consultants imo - the sound-proofing in their purpose-built hotels is incredible. Noticeably better than a new-build Premier Inn where PI has simply leased floors in a larger building designed by an external architect.

Staffing levels and customer service can be lacking, however. Cleanliness is fine, though.

I find cleanliness can vary a bit in PIs. It's pretty much never unacceptable (unlike TLs), but sometimes you see dust built up on the top of pictures (I'm tall!) or on fan grilles, and they rarely bother with window cleaning, at least with sufficient frequency. Now they've reduced to "between stays only" the standard really should be substantially higher, but it isn't.

 

[Butts]

I used to like Forte back in the 90s. Things have changed a bit though!

Around the turn of the Millennium I had a Forte Gold card from work.

It was valid at Travelodge's, Little Chefs and Post House Hotels all at that time part of the Forte Empire.

Fond memories of "Olympic Breakfasts" in the Chef and Traders Restaurants in the Post House Hotels.

Going back a little further I stayed in Travelodge's before Premier Inn even existed.

Pricing was a lot simpler in the pre-internet age - Fixed

 

[Bletchleyite]

Travelodge was initially a massive innovation - a simple, consistent and cheap product (and fixed prices as you say, about 40-50 quid a night if I recall, though in real terms that's probably about 80-100 now in real terms so not *that* cheap) in a market that was full of B&Bs of very varying quality which were often very hard to book. It was great.

Sadly as often happens it was overtaken by others and has declined somewhat.

 

[WelshBluebird]

My main issue with Premier Inn is the same as it was before COVID - they don't allow the option to pay more for an early check in like most other hotel chains let you do. And the rubbish they did during COVID of pushing their check in time to 4pm lost them a lot of custom and good will from me ontop of that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

My main issue with Premier Inn is the same as it was before COVID - they don't allow the option to pay more for an early check in like most other hotel chains let you do. And the rubbish they did during COVID of pushing their check in time to 4pm lost them a lot of custom and good will from me ontop of that.

They changed it from 2 to 3 didn't they? I've not noticed it being 4.

I do think a chargeable early checkin and late checkout is a very good thing and they should reinstate it.

 

[johncrossley]

Travelodge was historically mainly only good for car drivers but in the last 10 or so years they've got a huge number of hotels near rail stations. I'm not as fussy as most of the people on here, so I end up using them a lot. All I want is a bed and a shower. I don't demand extreme cleanliness. I don't even care about internet now as I have my own data. I generally pay £23 to £40 a night, usually Sunday night.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Travelodge was historically mainly only good for car drivers but in the last 10 or so years they've got a huge number of hotels near rail stations. I'm not as fussy as most of the people on here, so I end up using them a lot. All I want is a bed and a shower. I don't demand extreme cleanliness. I don't even care about internet now as I have my own data. I generally pay £23 to £40 a night, usually Sunday night.

I do demand basic cleanliness, and TL so often doesn't even deliver you that. Vomit on carpets and hairs in the shower plughole I've both had. Yuck.

 

[johncrossley]

I do demand basic cleanliness, and TL so often doesn't even deliver you that. Vomit on carpets and hairs in the shower plughole I've both had. Yuck.

Maybe I don't even notice when things are dirty. Although I haven't had those things you mention and I've stayed in Travelodges dozens of times.

 

[XAM2175]

My main issue with Premier Inn is the same as it was before COVID - they don't allow the option to pay more for an early check in like most other hotel chains let you do. And the rubbish they did during COVID of pushing their check in time to 4pm lost them a lot of custom and good will from me ontop of that.

They changed it from 2 to 3 didn't they? I've not noticed it being 4.

I do think a chargeable early checkin and late checkout is a very good thing and they should reinstate it.

All of the PIs I've used in the last year-ish (and it's been a fair number) had check-in after 1500. Changing to check-in after 1600 was definitely something at least some Travelodges did, though.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Premier Inn did it last summer when a lot of people were holidaying in this country. Then compromised at 3 after a lot of complaints. I do think that an early check-in would be a good idea if suitably charged for. Premier Inn have sadly never offered this and it's always been Travelodge that have been the main budget chain to provide this service

 

[Bletchleyite]

Premier Inn did it last summer when a lot of people were holidaying in this country. Then compromised at 3 after a lot of complaints. I do think that an early check-in would be a good idea if suitably charged for. Premier Inn have sadly never offered this and it's always been Travelodge that have been the main budget chain to provide this service

FWIW I'd go away a lot more during the week (work and explore in the evenings) if I could get a 5pm checkout without having to pay for an extra night (so I could work the full day in the hotel). Ibis are the only chain that has ever offered me that. And even when they did I kept getting staff knocking to ask if I was leaving, after a few they got a proper earful about me having paid for it so please go away, and I stayed right up to 1659 to make the point

So many people check in much later than that, particularly on Fridays that it should be easy to offer a few rooms for that at a fee. You could charge say £20-30 for it (I'd probably pay as far as half the room rate that night for 5pm) but, for a given hotel, if anyone had booked that you could offer the same number of "£5 discount if you agree to check in no earlier than 7pm" to counter it, then you'd guarantee to have the rooms.

Yes I can go and sit in a Costalottabucks, but that's not ideal if you have conference calls.

Other thing I suppose they could offer if they want the bedrooms back is quiet working cubicle areas at a suitable fee.

 

[Huntergreed]

My preference is always for Premier Inn. I find them extremely consistent - basic but nice enough rooms, usually very good locations, quiet generally, and you know what to expect.

I do miss the daily room servicing ever so slightly (even if just towels were replaced and bins emptied it would make things a lot easier) - however it’s not a huge factor.

Travelodge do have some good hotels, but they are far less consistent than PI and a lot of their hotels are dirty, noisy and the rooms are extremely basic. The lack of consistency would always make me choose PI over TL, even if I was paying £5-£10 extra per night.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Very rarely have I stayed in a TL and not wished I'd paid more for a PI. And it's often only a tiny amount more, maybe a tenner.

 

[DelayRepay]

I do miss the daily room servicing ever so slightly (even if just towels were replaced and bins emptied it would make things a lot easier) - however it’s not a huge factor.

I'm not that bothered about towels - I don't replace my towels at home every day either.

I agree about the bin though. Hotel bins are tiny, and if you've had a couple of bottled drinks and a pre-packed sandwich in your room the bin is full. And having to go downstairs to reception for more tea bags is a pain.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not that bothered about towels - I don't replace my towels at home every day either.

I agree about the bin though. Hotel bins are tiny, and if you've had a couple of bottled drinks and a pre-packed sandwich in your room the bin is full. And having to go downstairs to reception for more tea bags is a pain.

I find having to ask for more tea bags like a schoolkid unpleasant and a bit demeaning - it is a bit Oliver Twist. I know some people would take loads, but they should just put them out on reception to take yourself. They are so cheap that even if a few people do nick a bagful it's fine.

The bins could be larger and better designed including separate recycling compartments, yes.

 

[richw]

I do miss the daily room servicing ever so slightly (even if just towels were replaced and bins emptied it would make things a lot easier) - however it’s not a huge factor.

I stayed in Sheffield city centre PI last month. At check in I was offered daily cleaning. I declined as I’m one who doesn’t like the thought of a cleaner going through my room when I’ve left stuff. In olden days I always left the do not disturb sign on the door.

I find having to ask for more tea bags like a schoolkid unpleasant and a bit demeaning - it is a bit Oliver Twist. I know some people would take loads, but they should just put them out on reception to take yourself. They are so cheap that even if a few people do nick a bagful it's fine.

The bins could be larger and better designed including separate recycling compartments, yes.

All of my recent stays tea and coffee sachets were on a table near reception to help yourselves.

I’ve stayed at the following since the start of July.

Sheffield city centre
London canning town
Carnon downs, Truro

 

[DelayRepay]

I find having to ask for more tea bags like a schoolkid unpleasant and a bit demeaning - it is a bit Oliver Twist. I know some people would take loads, but they should just put them out on reception to take yourself. They are so cheap that even if a few people do nick a bagful it's fine.

I normally help myself to a handful at breakfast time, and also take a clean mug and glass back to my room. Still a nuisance asking for the little pots of milk though.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I normally help myself to a handful at breakfast time, and also take a clean mug and glass back to my room. Still a nuisance asking for the little pots of milk though.

With the suggestion upthread (I think) that a small fridge should form part of the standard kit for a hotel room (with which I very much agree - not a minibar, but one for the guest's own stuff - and a small fridge is part of the standard kit in a PI premium room) perhaps it'd be more environmentally friendly for them to pack in providing the little plastic cartons and instead just put a small jug of milk in it, with a refill machine at reception?

I've found a workaround is to use my small Klean Kanteen insulated bottle, which I fill with fresh milk and freeze, and it then happily lasts a weekend just left out - there'll still be ice half way through the Saturday.