Great location, good value for money (Travelodge London Covent Garden)

Member Name: JHWilts

Product:	Travelodge London Covent Garden
Date:	05/06/09 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, price

Disadvantages: Poor quality towels & very busy

My other half and I like to spend a long weekend or week in London on a regular basis to soak up the sights and sounds and culture of what is a superb city. Unfortunately once you get past the travel fees on the train, cost of meals etc then you may not even want to start thinking about accommodation.

This is where Travelodge comes into their own. A large chain of simple, basic amenities that are reasonably priced. If you are hankering for excellent room service, masses of free toiletries and fluffy luxurious pillows and duvets then Travelodge is probably not for you.

However, if your basic demands lead to clean amenities and close to everything then Travelodge Covent Garden is perfect. We have stayed here for three times now and find it is perfect for our needs. We have learnt the hard way in staying in some pretty luxurious places however when you only use it to sleep and get changed / showered you resent paying a premium price for a room you may look at for 15 minutes a day.

Location

This is located in the heart for Covent Garden with easy access to local Tube stations. We use Waterloo Station and walk across the bridge to Covent Garden however as it is on the mainline tubes (Leicester in particular) you could easily find your way via Tube. Although it is right in the heart of busy Covent Garden the noise doesn't impact too much on you when you sleep even on a Friday and Saturday night. Although we did have a problem with one room whereby the window didn't shut, we contacted Reception and they sent somebody up to work on the lock and it was fine.

Booking

We tend to book online and so far (!) it has been a hassle free process and they have been fine. I always take a copy of the online confirmation just in case however that is for my benefit.

If you book a few weeks or months in advance you can get some pretty good rates although it has to be said, this is obviously a popular hotel and you will never get the cheapie cheap deals you may get for other venues.

Rooms / Décor

To me, this building looks like old student accommodation for the London School of Economics which is at the back of the building. They are very plain, like 1960s style basic décor. However they are perfectly functional.

Access to the rooms is not as difficult, there is a lift for each floor as well as stairs and I understand there is disabled access however I cannot advise where the entry point is.

The only drawback is the plethora of stairs that greet you when you first arrive and having to drag your suitcases etc up there! Not a problem with us as we tend to use backpacks anyway however may be a shock to people beforehand if they have traditional style suitcases however a good idea would be to contact the hotel for specific directions for the lift!

The rooms are a reasonable size - again you could get much smaller and pay a lot more money for a trendy boutique hotel in London so they are a good size considering this.

The bed is ok - nothing great, quite soft and squidgy and probably not good long-term if you had a back problem. There are enough pillows (you make like to use the extra ones however as they are quite thin) and quilts and you can always request some more from Reception. The same with the towels, they are on the small size however they are happy to supply you with some additional ones. However when they change the towels over the next day, they only tend to replace the towels you get allocated per room and not the extra ones. Before the greenies jump on me, we have to change the towels daily as they are small and not very absorbent and seem to stay wet permanently!

The bathroom is again fine - although the extractor fan didn't appear to work and hasn't in any of the rooms we have been in so far however this is not something relegated only to Travelodges.

The décor is very basic with TV, tea making facilities, desk and spare chair and of course wardrobe or hanging space. All perfectly adequate and in reasonable condition.

Some of the rooms have been painted and upgraded as we have had two different styles in the past year but they are apparently updating all of them in a very plain dark brown contemporary style. Simple and basic and perfectly fine.

The rooms are cleaned daily and we have realised also that if you come across the cleaning staff during the day they are often fine to stock you up with teas, coffees etc - enough to see you through until the next day.

Travelodge do not supply complimentary shampoos etc so if you like to take those thinking you are "getting your monies worth" then don't bother. This is one of the reasons that Travelodge are able to offer such reasonable prices in that they do not supply these branded items. If you do forget your toothbrush or the like they are available to purchase from the main desk.

Facilities

There is a restaurant / bar in the building and w used them for breakfast once or twice. To be honest for the price you paid for the breakfast, there are lots of café's etc around where you can easily pick up something to eat and for less money. The breakfast is average although there is a good selection of food. The only downside is the restaurant seating is not adequate for the number of people they have there. There are too few tables and chairs and you end of waiting for quite a long time. Breakfast always seems to be busy as well.

There is also a vending machine available with all the basics yet, we tend to stock up in some of the mini supermarkets around or splash out at Harrods for some wine, snacks etc and indulge in our room after we have been out for the day!

Love the tea making facilities although you could use the restaurant and order fancy coffees if you want to.

I could not comment on whether this hotel is good for families as we always stay as just us, a couple. Although given the number of families that do tend to stay there I could assume that they offer a range of facilities that are suitable.

Overall, this is a great hotel for a London trip. The issues are minor and for the price you pay and the location you would struggle to find something better or similar.

Summary: Good hotel, good location - book early to ensure you get in