London Budget Hotels - Travelodge vs. Premier Inn Review 

another tip, if you book in advance, thats great, if your a smoker, in premier inn, you can request your room close to reception, 3 days before your arrival, saves walking miles through corridors to go for a smoke, room allocated 3 days before and can be requested, also get your car parked next to the door, so if you do smoke, its cold night, you can sit in car, me and my wife done this often lol

I will save this video for when we do manage a London escape. Great comparisons. Your 'tips' videos are so details and to the point. I find them very useful Dara. Another one to be mindful of when booking. 👌🇳🇱🙋‍♀🇳🇿🌺

Your insights on Travelodge vs. Premier Inn are spot-on! 🏨💼 Avoiding hotel breakfasts is a smart move, and your tip about requesting a room close to reception in Premier Inn for smokers is gold. 😂 Loved the hilarious shower gel dispenser moment! 😆 Thanks for sharing these valuable tips and making the decision between these hotels a bit easier. Safe travels, Magenta Otter Travels! 🌍✈

i would put Premier Inn in the same league as Holiday Inn low/mid range and Travelodge the acceptable low end. Ive often found prices for £30-40 per night if booking in advance. No frills but when in London your hotel is just a place to shower and sleep. Can save a fortune finding a hotel just outside Central London but near a undergroud station.

Thanks for your insight tips by comparing the two different hotels. Next time when Philippe and I travel to London (hopefully sometimes soon) and we don't find an affordable Airbnb or Youth hostel we will check your recommendations.

Interesting comparison video. It's odd they didn't have a hairdryer in the Travel Lodge. I was surprised that the Premiere Inn was cheaper than the Travel Lodge in London. I believe it's usually the other way around. Lots of great advice and tips. Nice job, Dara! 👍❤

Thank you very much for the info for the very useful tips.

I default to Premier Inn always a decent medium quality room reasonably priced and a restaurant next door. The others vary so much from location to location. Essentially you get a consistent standard with Premier Inn.

Premier inn over travel lodge every day of the week! They are expensive though, especially in central London. We tend to stay on the outskirts now as the centre is just out of budget now! The beds are so much more comfy in the Premier Inns. Good comparison! Cheers 🍻

I like Premier Inns. Although I would recommend going for a 'refundable' in some circumstances - having got caught by this where I was going to stay over for a concert, the concert was cancelled, and I was left with a hotel room in a city I didn't really want to go to - would have liked to transfer to another hotel in another town, but you can't do that. If you don't mind changing your dates in that particular town or city then fine.

Some great advice for those travelling to London, Dara and Ian. If we were to travel there we would want to be in the heart of the city even if it's a little more expensive. The convenience of not trying to figure out transportation would be worth it to me. But, I'm not opposed to some less expensive hotels as long as the location was central. I believe the Travelodges are in the Wyndham Hotel Group of which we're members of. (members of several others too) But, that seems to be somewhat unclear in the UK. I see their not listed in the UK a being part of the Rewards program. (just checked) Anyway we enjoyed seeing some less expensive options and enjoyed seeing the room comparison.

Totally agree that Premier Inn is a better hotel that Travelodge, and really for much the same price. At Premier in, on can change the dates of a stay, even on a non-refundable booking, unless they choose the very lowest tariff. I often to this, Would say to do a search somewhere South of London (eg, Croydon), and somewhere north of London (eg. Borehamwood), to see where is less expensive near either of these. Premier Inn also famously do a meal deal. One can pay £25, and have an evening meal, with a drink, and breakfast. I think this is very good value.

A tip to myself & others is choose a new build TL or PI, I stayed in a TL that had previously been an office block, the floors were not solid, the original suspended floor joists were shared with adjacent rooms, so I heard & felt the neighbours whenever they moved around the rooms, also that former office block had no external sound insulation, at 7am the hand car wash people over the road woke me, so too the Laundry Van at 11:30 pm. a disturbed sleep & a poor experience and no quiet night guarantee with TL.

With our rented Airbnb being a flat we had the possibility to prepare our own breakfast, which was very nice....and healthy on top!

When I'm at work and outside of London, Travel Lodge tends to be the cheaper option, but when staying for leasure, the wife and I prefer Premier Inn, even if it's more expensive as generally a bit nicer. Never had to stay in London as it is mostly travellable for me

I agree with staying on the outskirts of London. When we visited London 4 years ago, we rented an Airbnb and had to take the tube to go to the city. But considering the price difference it was worth the daily trips. 👍

You're absolutely correct about the difference between Premier Inn and Travelodge, and which one would prefer! Very surprised to see Premier Inn cheaper in some places in London: in the provinces it's normally Travelodge that knocks spots off Premier Inn on price. For example, a Travelodge room for £30 in Cambridge compares with a £47-£62 tariff for Premier Inn. I expect it's a decision about whether the quality is worth the extra! Thanks for your critique - always helpful!

Excellent video! Love that there are reasonable hotel stays in London, my thoughts were always $500+ per night. Question is Travel Lodge affiliated with the US Wyndham hotel chain? Couldn’t find a clear google answer. Another fabulous video Dara! ~Cara 😊

We tend to like the hotel breakfasts. You can eat so much it is effectively "brunch". Children go free so that cuts the cost. If you want to avoid processed, mass produced products you need to avoid coffee shops like Pret and Leon as well and rent an AirBB where you can prepare your own.

The tip about avoiding the hotel breakfasts applies across most European cities. When my wife and I book our city breaks it's always room only, then we find somewhere local and used by the locals for a breakfast, at often a fraction of the cost of the hotel breakfast.

The hotel comes with a magenta coat and coffee mug? Perfect!

Hiya Dara, Me and my friend Michael are going to London next November, where sort of doing a historical holiday, Where going to Tower Of London, Jack The Ripper Tour, British Museum, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral and London Zoo, where staying at the President hotel, I know its expensive but we've gave ourselves 12 months to save for it, it should be a giggle, this is Choppy in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England

Interesting video, have you seen the Premier Inn-Hub hotels? room a bit snug for two, solo visitors may like these and the rates, there are larger Hub rooms as well, rooms are techie, usb/hdmi ports, ambient lighting, Wi-Fi, rain shower, clever storage ideas,

really useful this, i find Premier Inns to be a standard price across the board whereas Travel Lodge you can find a bargain night at if you boom in advance and are flexible. great difference between the ones in London Dara. some terrible design choices in the Travelodge with storage space. yes thise dead mans switches are annoying, i wonder if it stop/starting so often is more of a hazard? the travelodge is a nightmare to connect to the wifi, which is a couple of pounds per night for just two devices. i mean Haylings is so reasonable why don’t they use that everywhere as standard? i have seen Michaels routine on body wash, very funny. gosh they both have really flexibile prices, we use the same system to find dates.. very well put together and very helpful. great review ❤ definitely wouldnt buy food from either Travelodge or Premier Inn! 👍

Hi, I have stayed in both Travelodge and Premier Inns, though not these ones, I don't think I have been in either without having a hair dryer, although, often hidden in Drawers, Cupboards, sometimes near the extra pillows. Did you ask at reception? Agree with you most of the time, if you are in a city, breakfast is better outside, but it is slightly more predictable if prebooked at the hotel. The area near Aldgate is on the boundary with 'The City' so has a business verses tourist clientele. The general indicator is the Sunday rate, Weekend rate and the weekday rate. The Travel Lodge low rate for Sunday suggests a business focus, Friday/Saturday a normally high. I think this Premier Inn is Tourist with the Travel Lodge being Business, there are 2 other of each within easy walking distance which may have different target clients. Sorry I mention this because it is a strange boundary area.

Hiya. I used to stay at a Premier Inn all the time but then their prices went through the roof and I had to change to Travelodge. Now they're both more or less the same, so I generally go for whichever is the lowest price option that matches my itinerary. Let's face it, all you need is a bed and a shower. Well, you do if you're single (sob). I DETEST shower curtains, however. And I still LOVE what is now called the Premier Inn all-you-can-eat Unlimited Cooked Breakfast. Let's face it (again), you and Ian just nibble on a crust most of the time, but I will, virtually, go through the Menu! I don't believe I've EVER had breakfast at a Travelodge. Happy Thanksgiving! Stay safe. All the best to you.

If you’re disabled,tell reception and they’ll give you a room near the door.. Does anybody know what you have to say or do to get a sea view room in an Hotel…?has anybody tried bribery ?

Motel One is also worth checking out 😊

My tip for London, especially if driving is to look for hotels on the outskirts that are within easy walking distance of a tube station. You’ll not spend ages stuck in traffic nor paying eye-watering amounts to park in anorexic parking bays.

When i went to London i stayed in Stevenage…i loved it,villagey atmosphere…with out the big city faff…24/7.. (Every body needs a break from the mayhem)..you’re so right about the breakfasts Dara…Hotel Breakfasts..euww…but always ask for a receipt as i was charged for 2 days breakfast in Bristol……..and i specifically ordered “non petit dejeuner”..they repaid reluctantly £50, when i checked their receipt.. Novotel has the best hotel breakfast ive seen…theyre worth going for..

premier inn in london, can go from 70 a night to 140 a night if there is something on, football, wembley arena, and the likes, i spent 6 years years in travel lodges, premier are the best if you can get cheap, as they tend to have a pub, or a toby attached, good for a drink and food, travel lodge, tend to be more isolated, maybe some garage food meal deal

We have stayed in many budget hotels in London. One served a plate of warm beans and two undercooked eggs for breakfast. I do enjoy Holiday Inn breakfast is included on some deals. The price differences are because Monday to Thursday are priced for business users Friday normally when the tourists visit for theatre trips. We have visited some 4* hotels that have been dreadful and one that put me and my boss in the honeymoon suite ,it didn't last😅.

My favorite - Premier Inn Earl's Court. Easy commute to and from Heathrow. Close to Central London, Kensington, Freddy Mercury's home and Diana's flat pre-royal life.

I thought Ian would talk like Jasper Carrot,so i was surprised when he spoke like an American on the bluffs..

July is absolutely the most expensive time to stay in London.

I think a premier Inn is better for a hotel and a travelogue is better if you are travelling for businesses

For a step above the Premier Inn in London and Liverpool, I'd recommend The Resident a very small chain of hotels.

I agree being flexible helps, but PI removed a very useful feature, they used to have an at a glance calendar view (weekly/monthly) with room rates, so you could choose a stay based solely on your budget, then fit yourself around the dates & location as long as transport worked out, I know there is still a search by price option, but I liked the calendar view option, more consumer friendly.

Immediately after the Cheltenham Gold cup is the” Midlands Grand National” 16th March…which is another grand event in the North East Cotswolds…

Dara, the 2 best places to stay, travel lodge, i have stayed many times, as i delivered London on a weekly basis, is the gatwick, 6 floors 24 hour bar and 24 hour fast food, i was getting that for 70 per night, it was great as i parked in car park and they have parking attendant all night, , heathrow a great one also, that was a cheap one 60 to 70 a night, not as good as gatwick, but great if you are flying from either home to US, and you have early flights.

About Premier and Premiere, i have noticed previously when an American commented on the “English Premiere league” which was not correct, two meanings, two different pronunciations, how are the two words normally distinguished by Americans?

I like Ibis and especially Novotel..i like too Holiday inn..and Doubletree by Hilton..and Best Western Dover...the Grand Harbour Southampton,The Queens Hotel,Southsea..

It seems to be popular to bash on AirBnb, but I don't see how people justify how expensive hotels are. Even with the week discount, a hotel room is €135 a night? That's mad.

Random tip. Don't click on the first video you see when you're in a rush because it takes you to a three year old livestream. 😂

Love how you said you had to "pump on" the shower gel dispenser haha that means something very different in the UK 😂 Travellodge is the hotel equivalent of Ryanair. No frills and they try and gouge you at every chance they get.

I’ve tried to suffer, travel lodges, but I’ve never had a problem with premier Inn

I've worked in travel for years, and when it comes to Travelodge, we call it Traveldodge.

it seems rather far to walk from Eeling Broadway station to these hotel.

WOW!!! £573 compared to £823!!! This is a huge difference 😳

Tip No.6. Always ask for a complimentary upgrade. 😁 Tip No.7. Don't stay in the Royal York hotel in Toronto first because it will make all other hotels look like hovels. 😁

As well as deadman button hairdryers,have they got minute man showers too..?..theyre probably trying to avoid guests without an elastic band ,using them as overnight room heaters..i dont like shower curtains,give me a screen every day long..

i moved up from london 2010, met diane my partner after moving to the north east, we been together from boxing day, it was valentines, she said, as suprise, i have booked us into a premier inn, with toby next door, table booked, we get to premier inn, i said book us in i will get the bags, well she took ages, she not good on computers then, she came out she said she mess the booking up, we at a travel lodge, it was 9 miles away middle of no where lol, a (garage) service station, next to it lol, anyway got to travel lodge, drove back 9 miles for the meal, could not drink, 9 miles back, we went to (garage) service station got some snacks and drinks, we were up till 2am drinking and chatting, valentines night, we new couple so to speak, anyway, drank abit to much, i fell over, manager came and knocked on the door can you keep noise down, lol, he probably thought couple up there valentines going at it all night lol, we just got drunk, but made for a great story, totaly true

If you’re American try Mollies hotel..if you’re homesick,you’ll feel at home..

Lots of boat asylum seekers are housed in lots of hotels..

KEEP WELL AWAY FROM LONDON but if you have to - get in & get out as soon as possible.

I wouldn't go to Londonstan even if you paid me. everything there is well over priced and none is friendly.