Travelodge- more like Travle- bodge-up!! (Travelodge in general)

Member Name: mummy2twogirls

Product:	Travelodge in general
Date:	12/11/08 (60 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap and affordable

Disadvantages: being so basic

Travelodge became the first budget hotel brand and was launched back in 1985, it now has around 330 hotels with over 20,000 rooms in Ireland, UK, and Spain with plans to grow to around 1000 hotels by 2012 just in time for the Olympics, being the biggest hotel operator in London.

I don't think many people refer to Travelodge as a 5 star luxury hotel, but just a hotel that is there for a room to stay for the night as most of the rooms as just basic comfort with minimal living amenities, and the hotels itself don't really offer much more than just a bar and limited eating arrangements.

I have stayed in quite a few Travelodge's over the years, all down to the fact of my partner having quite a large family therefore we are always invited to some sort of party or another across the country, and staying in a travelodge seems like the cheapest option for accommodation for the night. Which rooms starting from £9 per person per night.

Our latest encounter with a travelodge was earlier this year when we went up to my sister in laws party in Preston. The only trvaleodge in this area was situated right in the middle of town, which we didn't think was to big a deal. When we arrived we found that parking to this hotel was a very small multi-storey car park which had room for about 30 cars at a squeeze.

We where greeted at the front desk by a women who really didn't look to happy to see us, i think she would have rather been on a desert island somewhere in the sun, then working where she was. As we got mimamal comunication from her. Anyway we got our room card and was even told what floor the room was on, so after looking at various signs we found the right floor, and found the room.

On entering the room we soon realized that if you pay cheap, you get cheap, there was a double bed in the center of the room, a dressing table, a very small wardrobe, a TV sized for a midget, and a en suite bathroom which hosted a shower, sink and toilet, and a very unusual smell.

There was a little plastic kettle that had seen better days and could hold about enough water for one cup, and they had kindly put out a couple of sachets of coffee, tea and sugar-but no milk!!

We had about two hours to spare until we had to get ready to go out so thought we'd have a hours sleep, well the bed was horrid, it slated backwards so when you lied down, your feet was higher than head, making it rather uncomfortable to sleep in, so i went down and asked for some more pillows ( as we where limited to one each) in hope it would solve the problem- not likely. I think the only reason i got to sleep that night was because i was rather drunk and could have slept anywhere.

In the morning we where offered to have breakfast, but turned it down as i think it cost about £8.00 for a full English, which in my eyes was a little pricey, but we went down anyway to have a proper cup of coffee, and looking at other people eating the breakfast, was glad we didn't splash out that much, for dried up sausage, bacon, toast, and beans and after we checked out happily scoffed down a proper full breakfast at Sainsbury's for half the price and better quality.

We where asked to vacant the room by 10.00am and weren't at all sorry to leave, OK travelodge say they are a budget brand hotel, but theres budget and theres budget, and i think they should start improving there service by employing more friendly staff and investing in beds that don't try to eat you in the night.

Summary: Start improving the hotels you have, before building anymore