A BARGAIN BOLTHOLE! (Travelodge London Kings Cross Royal Scot)

Member Name: jojopillo

Product:	Travelodge London Kings Cross Royal Scot
Date:	25/05/09 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: CLEAN, COMFORTABLE AND CHEAP!

Disadvantages: POOR ACCESS, CAN BE NOISY IN THE MORNINGS

I've used Travelodge over the last few years for various trips to London and ended up at the Kings Cross Royal Scot because of the fantastic deals they offer on their website. We stayed there recently on the Bank Holiday weekend at the beginning of May. I normally try to book a family room as they're a little bit bigger but this time was only able to get a twin. But at £49 per room per night on a Bank Holiday in London I'm not complaining! I have stayed there before for as little as £29 per night which I consider to be an amazing bargain for a night in London.

Just a few minutes walk from Kings Cross mainline and underground stations, this 211 en-suite room hotel is a very handy location for getting to most parts of the capital. The train we travelled down on also came into Kings Cross so that was very convenient too - thank god for the innovation of suitcases with wheels on though! St. Pancras station is also close by too.

The hotel doesn't have the nicest of exteriors; it looks more like an office building than a hotel. The main entrance on Kings Cross road has steps up to the entrance and I found it quite difficult manoeuvring quite a heavy case up them. There is a small lift at the back of the hotel but I'm quite surprised they've not incorporated at least a ramp at the front. So having only just entered the building it has already lost one star in my rating!

Inside the lobby I found it to be light, spacious and clean, with the reception situated in the centre and sofas dotted around the area. There are also a number of computers available for internet access which costs £1 for 20 minutes use (which I used to check my Dooyoo account - get a life woman, you're on holiday!)... Anyway, to the right is a large café/bar which looks quite hospitable and caters for breakfast, lunch and evening meal; although I didn't use these facilities myself so I can't tell you about prices or quality of food.

Check in is 3pm on the day of arrival and check out is 12noon on the day of departure. Earlier or later check in/out times are available for a fee at the time of booking.

On arrival I presented the receptionist with my booking reference, was told my room number and asked how many cardkeys we would like. The entrance to the lift and stair area requires you to insert your cardkey, so security wise this seems like a good idea. However, it's astounding how many people actually hold that door open for you, so I imagine it would be easy enough for someone to get through without a cardkey if they really wanted to.

There are three lifts, which aren't very spacious, to access the four floors, with a very bored sounding woman telling you, 'doors closing, going up' and 'doors opening, third floor' and when you alight there are signs telling you which way to go for you room number. These are accessed down very long corridors. The décor is cheerful enough and seemed to be well kept.

The building encompasses a courtyard where you can park your car; it is not free, however! And as you can imagine the view isn't very enthralling. The room we stayed in this time faced the courtyard, and upon entering you notice the familiar Travelodge fixtures; your beds, of course, a built-in wardrobe with heavy wooden doors, a few detachable coat hangers and some spare pillows inside. A dressing table with a large mirror on the wall, a TV, and a small kettle with tea, coffee, sugar and milk. Then of course you have the obligatory terracotta/orange painted walls and wall mounted bedside lamps on each side.

The windows are restricted to opening about four inches, and because it was so warm that weekend it had to be open all the time. The downside to this, and the fact that we faced the courtyard, being that on the first morning I was woke up by the refuse collection at about 8am; it lasted over half an hour and there was a constant roaring of the truck's engine whilst idling which increased when lifting the bins, with the clanging and clattering that these empty vessels made driving me to distraction! Yet another star lost for this I'm afraid!

The bathroom was very compact, but it did have a bath, whereas many hotels replace this luxury with just a shower cubicle to save even more space. It was very clean and there were enough towels for us. The shower/mixer tap is a great design and the heat and water pressure were fabulous. You won't find any little bottles of shampoo or other freebies at Travelodge though, apart from a small bar of soap; as they tell you, via small leaflets in the room, they save costs by not wasting money on all these things people rarely use. The room doesn't have a telephone for this reason too.

Ironing boards, irons and hairdryers are available at the reception and are free to use. They only have a limited number so sometimes you may have to wait, although I've not had to, as yet. Well, not at this Travelodge anyway, we stayed in the Milton Keynes one last year and after our hairdryer broke we went to reception only to be told they were all out, so frantically started knocking on everyone's door asking if anyone had one we could use!

The beds are quite comfortable to sleep in and the bedding was spotlessly clean, which is probably the most important thing. Although I would say that they were quite narrow single beds, probably 2'6" rather than a more acceptable 3'. In the family and double rooms however they have king-sized beds, so it all depends on what room you get really.

The reception is 24 hours and they're always happy to give you extra tea/coffee on request and the staff have always been helpful, polite and of smart appearance. The hotel also has WIFI connectivity, which is chargeable. I'm not sure about its usability though, as I take too much luggage as it is without carting my laptop too! Travelodge do not store luggage either, so I have always taken mine to either Kings Cross or St. Pancras left luggage, where they'll store it for the day for £6.50 which isn't too bad - and it's easy to pick up just before your homeward journey!

I think if you were looking for a bit of luxury then you would have to look somewhere else. If though, like me, you are just looking for somewhere comfortable, clean and safe to bed down on a trip to the capital then I would say it's great value for money, especially when you get it for £29. Apart from the location I've found all the Travelodges I've stayed in to be the same, and it's nice to book into a hotel where you know what to expect. I think the standard rate is about £69 for this particular location, but I doubt I'd be happy if I had to pay that!

All in all a satisfactory hotel which I'd be more than happy to visit again.

Travelodge Kings Cross Royal Scot
100 Kings Cross Road
London
WC1X 9DT
0871 984 6272
www.travelodge.co.uk

Summary: VALUE FOR MONEY STAY IN LONDON