Toddington M1 Southbound Travelodge (Travelodge in general)

Member Name: HonestBob

Product:	Travelodge in general
Date:	10/11/08 (88 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap when the price promotion is on

Disadvantages: May not get the dates or location you want during the promotion

Travelodge currently have a price promotion on. Book far enough in advance and don't be too choosy about your location or date/s and you can get a room for the night from £9.00.

We wanted to travel from 'Up North' to 'Down South' to see relatives that we haven't seen for the best part of a decade so decided to take up this offer. We booked four weeks in advance and wanted a Saturday night. As we didn't plan far enough ahead we missed out on the £9.00 rooms, but we did manage to get a room at the Toddington M1 Southbound Travelodge, on the date that we had in mind, for just £19.00. Considerably cheaper than the almost £50 we would have been charged had we stayed at any of the other travelodges in the area that night.

Bargain!

We were able to check in anytime after 3pm and check out was midday the following day.

The room was very basic. We had booked a family room and this contained a doorless wardrobe with 6 hangers, chest of drawers, a large double bed, a sofa which transformed into a bed, a TV, small travel sized kettle, 3 mugs, teaspoons and an assortment of coffees (OK, by assortment I mean Kenco caffeinated and decaffeinated), tea and milk.

We had an ensuite bathroom with toilet, sink, overhead lit mirror, shaver point and a fixed shower head over a short but fairly deep bath.

There were plenty of towels (3 bathsheets and 3 hand towels) and extra bedding with which to make up the sofa bed.

The room itself was spacious enough for us to erect a travel cot and still have plenty of room to manouvre around. The bed sat under a headboard with bedside cabinets either side and lighting was adaptable, consisting of wall lights either side of the bed and two lights on the wall opposite. It was possible to adjust the lighting so that the baby could be dealt with easily enough without the glare of full lighting, but it could not be dimmed sufficiently to avoid waking him, hence late night 'comfort' visits required nimble negotiation in the dark.

For £19.00 the room was adequate. We needed a place to crash during a busy weekend away and did not intend to spend a great deal of time there. I would not pay the full price however as it was too basic and I would not want to stay there on business as it would be too depressing to spend more than sleeptime in the room.

There was no telephone and no wifi so I doubt this room would have suited anyone away on business, certainly not anyone who hoped to do much work from their room anyway. There was no hairdryer either, which would not have bothered me for such a short stay had it not been for the terrible weather that we had and the soaking I got just getting from the car to reception (I live and learn, next time I'll pack one).

In summary, the room we stayed in needs updating if it is to keep pace with modern travellers. It was a little worn and grubby in places. The bath taps had seen better days, the sink tap was tough to turn off and generally it needed a refit thoughout. We only paid £19.00 for the room but we did splash out on breakfast at the services. That cost £24 (shocking!) so the weekend away cost us £43.00 for bed and breakfast. I think I'd plan better and breakfast elsewhere if we were to do it again.

We will be taking up the price promotion again early next year as for £9.00, if you plan early enough, you really can't knock it too much.

Summary: Good value when the price is reduced but very basic rooms.