Travelodge Birmingham - My Own Experience Of Staying There (Travelodge Birmingham Central)

Member Name: andrew_dav

Product:	Travelodge Birmingham Central
Date:	10/10/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Location, Cheap Prices, Nice Rooms

Disadvantages: Unfriendly Atmosphere Can Make It Lonely

A few months ago my company sent me on some training in Birmingham and placed me in this hotel. It's cheap and cheerful with the bear necessities to hand. There's no restaurant and any snacks you need are in vending Machines which also sell toothpase and disposable razors. I've never been used to somewhere to stay like this and I can see the upsides and downsides for both.

This hotel is placed in a fantastic location. It's situated just off of Broad Street which is right in the heart of the city centre and the main street for social activities in Birmingham. For convenience you can't really find a fault. I travelled by train and it's a short walk from Birmingham New Street station and easy to find. I could imagine that if I had travelled by car then this would have been a lot more complex a journey as parking in the area looked severely limited and any that I did see had a highly inflated price.

The rooms itself are pretty nice. As I said in the previous paragraph, this Travelodge is on the main party street of Birmingham but they've obviously taken this into consideration with the design as I could nearly hear any loud music or noise during my stay. I had a basic double bed that was clean and comfortable with a sofa and a TV for entertainent. There were also tea and coffee making facilities along with an ample sized bathroom and fresh towels. I found this all to be pretty satisfactory and I enjoyed my stay there. I think I used it for what their philosophy intends it to be: a basic overnight stay in a room that's just for sleeping in and not for leisure.

There is a far less friendlier aspect to this hotel which I touched upon in my introduction. Customer service is pretty much non existent and any purchases are done through vending machines. There is no one behind the desk in evening hours and you have to use your room key to unlock the main door to get into the building. I personally could live with this so I had no issues at all but I can easily see how it can be lonely and frosty and it makes me think that sometimes I take the person behind the hotel desk for granted. Then again although I didn't pay for this room I've seen the prices and although they vary I've seen them advertised in mailshots to me for as little as £25 and you have to wonder that if they didn't save on all of these things that make it a lonely atmosphere, then you wouldn't be able to pick up a room for so cheap right in the middle of a major city centre.

Overall though I think it's fair to say that what it takes with one hand it gives back with another and where it saves on maintainence costs it gives back in cheap room costs for a well maintained room.

Personally when i'm in the UK and staying away I seldom use a hotel room for leisure and more for a bad to sleep in. This suits me down to the ground and I would happily reccomend it for someone that uses it the same way that I do.

Summary: A Great Overnight Stay If You Can Get Used To What The Philosophy Of A Travelodge Is.