Location, location, location at the Travelodge Marylebone Hotel (Travelodge London Marylebone)

Member Name: rosebud2001

Product:	Travelodge London Marylebone
Date:	19/01/09 (418 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, tranquility, great public transport, pleasant rooms, great staff

Disadvantages: No family rooms, wait at reception at peak times

Travelodges are not all created equal, despite what you read on the website.

Some are converted office blocks, others are more luxurious hotels or properties acquired by the Travelodge chain in their apparently unstoppable expansion.

The Travelodge Marylebone is one of the "better" Travelodges in my opinion. Better because it is a custom built hotel, having formerly been the Ramada Marylebone. Having stayed in many Travelodges over the years, this one seems a cut above the rest and when I stayed you could tell it was once part of a different hotel chain.

I travel to London several times a year to visit family and friends and given how expensive it can be to stay in the capital, Travelodges have saved me a small fortune, particularly during sales when rooms can be had for as little as £9 per night. However, even if you end up having to pay £49 per night for a room at a Travelodge in Central London, you have got yourself a bargain.

I stayed at this hotel in August last year and have two further bookings this year - one for February and one again for August. I note that the hotel is currently undergoing refurbishment which will continue this month and into February so I have added an update at the bottom of this review following my February visit.

LOCATION

The Travelodge Marylebone is situated just off the Marylebone Road and right beside Marylebone Station, and the Bakerloo Line Underground station. However it is not on the main road, which means you don't hear the noise from the constant stream of traffic on the constantly busy A501 nearby.

For me this hotel is a winner because of its location. I travel from Edinburgh by train and arrive at Kings Cross Station. I can take a 205 bus directly to Marylebone station which is perfect. The bus actually leaves the Marylebone Road and stops adjacent to the station so stay on it and get off to save yourself having to cross an extremely busy road.

You can also walk to Baker Street Station and Edgware Road Station in 5-10 minutes giving you the choice of more tube lines.

THE HOTEL

Reception is up some stairs upon arrival at the hotel, but there is a lift for wheelchair users.

There are two lifts in the hotel and I found I didn't have to wait too long for them when I stayed.

When you arrive at the hotel you have already paid so all you need is your key and room number and you are away. I found the staff here to be extremely friendly and helpful.

There is a bar in the basement area of the hotel which I visited once. It was very quiet however and somewhat lacking in atmosphere. Being in the basement didn't help as there were no windows.

Food is served in the restaurant which is located on the same level as reception and is far more pleasant an area with windows and therefore lots of natural light. We had breakfast here which costs £7.50 for a hot buffet breakfast, with children eating free. This is a great deal I think, but unfortunately I am not a huge fan of Travelodge breakfasts really and only got it this day to the necessity of an early start.

Bar meals are available here all day and drinks can be brought to your table from the bar. I would prefer a single bar/dining area however as this tends to feel more family friendly and also tends to have a little more atmosphere!

There are also vending machines selling soft drinks, snacks and a small selection of toiletry items, in case you have forgotten any. I wouldn't advise using them however as there are cheaper options nearby.

The hotel is a complete non-smoking zone and Travelodge will charge you for cleaning if you smoke in your room and even reserve the right to "bar" you from their hotels for smoking in your room so my advice to smokers is go outside for your fix.

THE ROOM

I found rooms here to be of a reasonable size - I have stayed in larger rooms in a Travelodge but for me and my daughter the room size was perfectly adequate. There was a large double bed, bedside table, desk and chair and television. Don't expect to receive the full complement of Sky channels however - you get the terrestrial channels and a handful of extra TV channels and some radio stations and that's your lot.

There is also a large storage area with hanging space and shelves, along with space for your suitcase.

The bathroom was pleasant - it wasn't a typical Travelodge bathroom and one could tell it had once been part of a different hotel chain - however it was looking a little tired and one of the taps on the wash hand basin was decidedly loose. Given the hotel is being refurbished, one would expect these issues to have been dealt with.

The bed was large and very comfortable - my daughter and I were able to have enough space without bumping into one another. Beds have two pillows and each room usually has one spare pillow with other spares available upon request at reception. We requested an extra one at check-in to save us having to go downstairs again to get one - a tip I recommend you use if staying at a Travelodge and requiring extra pillows.

There is a window, which like most hotels these days, doesn't open fully. I stayed in August and didn't find the room too hot. There is also a small wall heater for colder weather.

The room has a kettle and two mugs plus instant coffee, some teabags, sweetener and dried creamers.

WiFi access is available in your hotel room but is expensive, especially if you are only staying for one or two nights. I have not used it at this hotel so cannot give an opinion on the quality of the service.

Pets are allowed in some hotel rooms but only at the discretion of the hotel manager. As I have no pets I cannot comment on the policy of this hotel, so my advice would be to telephone the hotel before booking if you want to take a pet with you. All pets are charged for in the room and the current cost is £10 per animal per booking, with a maximum of two animals in the room. You must also advise the hotel directly that you will be bringing pets once you have made the booking.

There are no telephones or hairdryers in your room - hairdryers can be borrowed from reception however and if you need to contact reception you have to go down and speak to them directly. This is my one gripe with Travelodges as you can find yourself standing in a large queue at busy times to deal with a minor issue.

There is one bad thing about the rooms at this hotel however. There are no Family Rooms on offer here - only double, twin and single rooms. So sadly this hotel isn't going to be a great option for couples travelling with children - you would have to book two rooms instead of one here.

GETTING ABOUT

I used to live in London so I know my way about very well. I enjoy visiting now and not having to drive (not having to worry about the Congestion Charge, bus lane cameras and the like is a great relief!) and find the public transport available around this area to be excellent.

As well as having Marylebone tube station virtually on the doorstep of this hotel, you are a short walking distance from Baker Street Station (Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Circle, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines) and in heading west, Edgware Road Station (Hammersmith & City, Circle and District lines). As a result its easy to get to almost any part of central London by tube.

The bus service is excellent here too. As well as the 205 bus I already mentioned, buses are available on the Marylebone Road, on Lisson Grove and at Baker Street. All bus routes in the area are featured on this excellent map from the Transport for London website:-

http://tiny.cc/Cov48

(link shortened due to Dooyoo rules)

BOOKING

Bookings can be made via the Travelodge website, which is at

www.travelodge.co.uk

I would advise you register with this website and sign up for e-mails from Travelodge, which will advise you of the many room sales they have available throughout the year. At peak times it can be very difficult to get online and get those £9 rooms, but I was able to book 4 nights in August this year for just £19 per night, which is just incredible for Central London.

If you buy a Saver Rate room you cannot change your booking or get a refund - you pay upfront upon booking. Insurance is available for £1 per booking. I always buy it but have never had to claim so I cannot comment on that part of the booking.

Rates can vary enormously for this hotel - I have paid £9 one one night and £49 for another. At peak times you can expect the rate to be a lot higher - I have seen rooms at £92 here. Weekends also tend to be more expensive than during the week so if you want it for a weekend my advice is to book early.

You can also making bookings by phone but you will have to pay the full rate - saver rates are not available this way so my advice is use the website.

OVERALL

I am going to keep this simply and say I love this Travelodge - it truly is a gem out of some lacklustre hotels in London. There are some in possibly better locations, especially if you like to be in the heart of the West End, but if you are happy to buy a One Day Travelcard and hop on the tube for a few stops, then this is perfect, and is also far quieter at night.

I would highly recommend you consider this for a budget option when visiting London.

****UPDATE****

I stayed at this hotel once again in February 2009 and refurbishment work was coming on well but not completed. Rooms had been refitted with new desks, flat screen LCD TVs on the wall and new beds. The new beds had a wooden headboard that incorporated lighting and a couple of very small shelves - there are, however, no bedside tables.

The bathrooms have new showers but apart from that are the same as they were last year. The showers are pretty powerful.

The common areas were in the process of being refurbished with new carpetting and one of the lifts was out of service.

It looked as if the refurbishment work was nearly over - I checked out on Monday 23rd February and would imagine most of the work would have been completed in that final week in February. I shall be returning again in August this year and will update once more then.

Travelodge London Marylebone Hotel
Harewood Row
Marylebone
London
NW1 6SE

Telephone 0871 984 631

Summary: Great budget hotel in central London