Banging Away All Night (Travelodge in general)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	Travelodge in general
Date:	10/07/01 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See review

Disadvantages: See review

Another week, and another business trip – this time the venue being sunny Milton Keynes. Milton Keynes is not one of my favourite places – all those straight roads and junctions are a bit like something out of a science fiction film, and the relative newness of the town didn’t fill me with anticipation of finding a gloriously stylish, traditional hotel. That aside, I was one of a party of twenty five guests, so credit to the Travelodge for having that many rooms - or was it just the case that everyone avoids the place like the plague…..

Upon arrival I was very hot – it was one of those extremely humid days when there is absolutely no breeze whatsoever – and I was rather concerned as we pulled up outside to see that all the room windows were open. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that this means no air conditioning. The car park was enormous, but it soon transpired that the area was shared with other local businesses, and that there was in fact a strict clamping system in operation. The actual Travelodge car park was located behind the building – which the receptionist quickly pointed out.

Alas, the temperature gradually increased as we made our way through the foyer, until we reached the hotel reception where a distinctly poorly looking pair were desperately trying to keep smiling through their sweat stained uniforms. It amazes me that a business associated with comfort and relaxation pays no attention to the basics like good air-conditioning – the place was like a furnace. The receptionist promptly checked us in and gave us our room keys. We were offered alarm calls, free newspapers and breakfast - to be perfectly honest she could have offered me a return flight to New York and I’d have declined – I just wanted to get in the shower.

Proceeding to my room, I came across the first obstacle – the key to the door. There was a standard metal key, and a flat plastic ta
g with lots of holes in it. The plastic tag for the room door did not come with any instructions – I always apply the “Stick it in and see what happens” theory but this was to no avail. I tried shoving it in and out quickly, shoving it in and leaving it in, shoving it in and out slowly – none of these systems seemed to work. Eventually, my colleague and myself discovered that if you slid it in, left it there for ten seconds and then left it in whilst you turned the handle you could force the door with your foot.

The room itself was refreshingly cool – both the windows were open and the size of the room seemed to enable a lovely cool breeze to float around the room. I was on the ground floor, which faced out onto the pavement and car park. The windows wouldn’t open wide enough to let someone climb in, but I was still slightly concerned about security and wouldn’t recommend leaving valuables in such a room. The room contained a large double bed, a sofa that could be pulled out to form another double bed, a small portable television, tea and coffee supplies, a telephone and a wall mounted desk. There was an average-sized en-suite bathroom with shower and everything was clean, tidy and fresh – quite welcoming after a day’s business. The television had satellite channels but the picture was very poor.

The shower was reasonably powerful, and whenever I used it (which was about five times during my stay) there was plenty of hot water. The light in the en-suite bathroom was bright enough to flood light Wembley (not welcome first thing in the morning) but I was pleased to see that there were plenty of decent sized towels (not always the case in these motel style hotels). There was a dangerously slippery floor – a more careless guest could easily find themselves on their back with their legs in the air without even thinking about it.

Not bad (for the price range) I was thinking as I chilled
out on the bed. By 7 p.m. it was time for food, so I gathered my belongings and left the room. I should say that I left the room whilst taking my life in my hands. I think that this Travelodge was actually a secret military experiment for new door technology that could kill the unsuspecting pedestrian. The doors slammed harder than you could possibly imagine – and when they did the whole building shook. Any child (or adult) who had the misfortune to stick their pinkies where they weren’t welcome would have certainly had a nasty surprise. To make matters worse, as you can imagine, there were about fifty or more rooms, each with their own door traps going off at intervals. The noise was not unlike a firing range – and would have gone on for as long as it took everyone to get in and go to bed (i.e. in some cases all night). As it was, I stayed out until the early hours, and when I returned was in no fit state to remember my room number, let alone hear the doors going off.

Breakfast in the morning was a meagre £3.95 piece containing a yoghurt, a croissant and a glass of orange juice, all left outside your room “for your convenience”. I declined on the Travelodge continental, relishing instead a fry-up from the motorway service station.

The evening’s accommodation was around £55, which wasn’t bad because you can pay a lot more for a much lower standard of room. As a business traveller Travelodge offer a number of additional services, including conference facilities, business accounts and discounts, and there are often special price offers for household customers. I was generally quite satisfied with my stay (although those doors need some attention) and would probably stay in another Travelodge if I had to. That being said it still wasn’t what I would call classy – so my quest for a decent hotel continues……

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