Personally, I love a Travelodge. I've stayed in loads of them up and down the country on my travels and despite having used probably 30-40 of them, some of those a good number of times, I can count on one hand the number of genuinely bad experiences I've had with them. Staff are always friendly, beds are comfortable, they've got everything you really need and they serve a purpose.
I honestly couldn't care less about a bit of dust in the room. I think the most important part of a room is a good bed and a hot shower with good water pressure.
@@thegrandmuftiofwakandaI think people stay at hotels for different reasons, not everyone is a tourist. I travel alone quite a lot and usually on a budget, so I'll often be in my room in the evening with a feast that I've bought from the local supermarket for my dinner.
Hi Scott, great subject as always. Once or twice Travelodge have been a lifesaver when flights have been cancelled and BA had no hotels available to offer. Basically ‘find a hotel and charge us.’ Travelodge always seem to some availability, which is great. I often benefit from discount codes offered by them throughout the year. Discounts on a budget hotel is just great. They seem to be in places that you want or need to be. I’ve often asked for a different room if I discover it’s too noisy, or above aircon or next to a busy road and they’ve changed, it, no problem. On the noise front, I always bring ear plugs, simple. Your 3 hotel insights are valid and useful. I met you once in Edinburgh Waverley whilst you were doing your first class experiences in Scotland. Keep doing what you do Scott, real and pleasantly honest. The range of stuff is impressive by the way……I was in Nimes the week before you and it was just as you described!
I literally did something similar to you a few days ago I fancied a last minute first class trip on LNER. Obviously the first class was an average first class price but I managed to get the travelodge 2 minutes walk from waverley Station for £35!
As a user of so called budget hotels I think that the problem with Travelodge vs Premier Inn is just a lack of refurbishment / modernising. Cleanliness can be hit and miss with all hotels and relys on the staff availability and dedication. The main problem with all these types of hotels is that they are no longer budget. Sometimes charging getting on for 200 quid at times is out of my budget.
Omg Dundee travelodge! That used to be a council care home on 4 floors. I worked night-shift there for 10 yrs next door was the fire station and no longer there! I live in Glasgow now but going to have a peek in next time im in dundee! Great info and video thanks cathy
The average time a housekeeper has to turn over a room like that is 25 to 30 minutes, bed change, dust, sanitize, bathroom and vacuum /re-stock …it’s really not long enough but very common practice /standard in these kinds of hotels. 😢
@@vivianhughes9347 believe me you don’t want to know what I’ve come across, sick left to harden in the sink / bath, beds being flipped…. You name it, I’ve probably come across it 🙈
I've stayed a few Travelodges throughout my travels and I've never had a bad night, cheap, cheerful and good customer service. Heathrow is probably the worst I've stayed in but that was mostly because of noisy neighbours than anything else, and the one by Liverpool airport probably my best stay.
I generally stay in the Premier Inn as I haven’t had any bad experience with them. I’ve stayed in a few Travelodge’s and they have been up and down. The one in Exeter looks like it hadn’t been refurbished since the 80’s but others they haven’t been too bad.
I am from Dundee and stayed at strathmore avenue for the first time a few months ago. I had an enjoyable stay. Great value for money and friendly staff. I am always happy when I enjoy a hotel stay in my home town and did here. I think the issue with the window must have an isolated incident. I always enjoy your videos
Stayed at the Norwich Central Travelodge about this time last year for a friends Stag-do. If memory serves, it was most similar to the Glasgow Airport location you feature here in terms of feeling a wee bit outdated. But honestly, it was absolutely fine as a place to stay for one night. Clean enough, breakfast was perfectly acceptable, and it worked out very cheap with a number of us sharing.
I used to work at Travelodge Glasgow Airport in 2006-2007. From what ive seen the rooms has been repainted and new carpets were fitted. Furniture is exactly same as 20years ago. Only chairs and bed bases were replaced. Bathrooms looks exactly the same. The oval hole over toilet used to be tissue dispenser. Public area on the ground floor has been refurbished. The whole dining area has new layout. Bar looks exactly the same as before. This travelodge used to be under the management of Ramada from across the carpark that is now Courtyard.
It's been a long time since I managed to get a stay in a Travelodge for under thirty quid! Generally, I don't mind them although we have stayed in some dreadful ones in the past (Chester Central springs immediately to mind) so we tend to favour Premier Inn for a budget stay, although some of their establishments are far from perfect. Another great video Scott, cheers.
Like many have mentioned they are very much a mixed bunch in my experience ranging from terrible to excellent, I find city centre ones at weekends unbearable in the main due to the clientele they attract, constant noise, door banging etc, just don’t bother with those ones unless you have absolutely no other options, ones away from the centre more catering for motorways etc are generally very good
Really interesting video Scott, we always use them as we have our dogs with us. We've seen the newly refurbished ones and the ones that clearly need one. At the end of the day they do the job, the one near Leeds Station always sticks in our memory as it was really hot and the duty manager brought in a water bowl for the reception area for our dog. Overall we like them!
In terms of the common hotels I've stayed in for me it's (from Better to OK) Premier Inn -> Holiday Inn --> Travelodge and I am including my views of the breakfast in that too. If you could could you do a similar review of Premier Inn's or Holiday Inns or another hotel chain? Keep up the good work Scott!
I find Travelodge is almost like 2 chains. Half of their establishments are broadly inline with premier inns, whereas the other half are super-budget. I can handle both, if the price is reflective of it.
Stayed a couple of times at one in High Wycombe when watching football at Wembley..had a great deal there with breakfast thrown in as part of the stay .. busy but clean and tidy..
I have stayed in a variety of Travelodges over the past few years and never had a bad one but not an excellent one either. I can see if people have paid upper prices for them could complain but for £50pn or less, its pretty good. I generally find the out of town travelodges are the better ones to stay at as less noise and bigger rooms.
Yeah that annoys me, its almost like trying to break it - and disabled guests rely on that lift! It seems to be a common habit with youtube vloggers but its a nasty habit.
@@shetlandsheep3081 I just thought it was kind of funny you see lots of people doing it everywhere. Kind of like the crossing signals that are just buttons not linked to anything.
Funnily enough I stayed for the first time in around 12/13 years in a Travelodge quite recently in mid-October 2023, for 1 night. In recent years I have generally used Premier Inn or Holiday Inn Express, or a couple of times an Ibis. Our visit last October was to Aberdeen and we chose Travelodge over Premier Inn, as a sort of experiment, because it is in easy walking distance of the railway station (I was arriving by train) & the nearest Premier Inn is a good bit further away on foot. It was a midweek visit & the room was £59.99 & we both had the £9.50 per head breakfast so the total cost was £78.99, not the cheapest but it served our needs well enough. The room seemed pretty clean & modern to us & our room looked out over Union Terrace Gardens, so quite a nice view. Heating in the room was OK, although we had to adjust the radiator a few times. Everything worked in the room & bathroom, the one major irritation was that whilst the soap dispenser above the bath/shower was filled, the one at the sink had obviously not been checked & refilled. I can’t remember about USB sockets, but I think they were present at the bedside (both sides) but not on the desk beside the TV & desk chair, but I always carry a USB adapter with two outlets to plug into a regular 3-pin socket, as does my partner, so this wasn’t an issue for us. We relied on our own data so didn’t bother paying for hotel wi-if. I found the breakfast buffet perfectly acceptable, with a good selection of items, both the usual cooked items, some fruits, yoghurts, cereals etc, different bread items and one of those continuous toaster machines. Teas/coffee/hot chocolate etc from the machine dispenser. I still prefer Premier Inn or Holiday Inn Express, but as I shall probably be travelling to Aberdeen by train again every so often I would probably use the Travelodge there quite happily, but if arriving by car I’d probably use a Premier Inn on the outskirts, which I’ve used several times before.
Hi Scott, Just wondered when you are staying at these hotels do you ever check for bed bugs as I know there has been a problem with them recently in some hotels. Has it ever been a problem for you.
Very good reviews of the three TL properties from an informed veteran. As someone who was also in the trade, I believe the UV light is grossly unfair, both to staff and proprietors.
Correct pal, absolute nonsense. If I went round every household in the UK with a UV light I'm sure I would be horrified. 😮 I think you should drop that feature Scott, it's a bit silly.
I think it's more of a case that cleaners should be supplied for a UV light as a basic cleaning utensil these days. But again you get what you pay for and all three were practically clean in the most important areas.
Timetable challenge for you as I know how you love a very early start. If you get the 05:20 train from Glasgow to Oban (how many passengers at that time I wonder?) you should (after the start of the summer ferry timetable in late March) be able to do a day trip to Iona. The winter timetable has a lunch break for the crew on the Iona ferry which means you'd have enough time to step off the boat and back on again, and a visit to Iona means a walk to the Abbey is the minimum I think. Lots of potential for things to go wrong with the connections to add the usual feelings of jepardy which I know you like Possible chance to tick off some of the playing cards on the way?
I've never really had an issue with Travelodge. My fave hotel of theirs is the one at Rugby where you can get a good view of trains passing the station. They are often accomodating if you ask for a room on the top floor with a view of the train station.
Best piece of advice from someone who has had to work away a lot and use Travelodges... never use the hotels in city centers (hen and stag party central)... in Newcastle I have literally walked in... gone to my allocated room, turned around, got back in my car and driven for 2 hours to get home. There were some absolutely shocking places in the North East... Glad to hear they can sometimes be a viable option.
That's very good advice and I can back this up that weekend stays can be very different to ones in midweek and if the location is a city centre there's a high probability you will have at best noise and at worst a nightmare experience, Premier Inn tend to without quibble refund you in full for that type of thing whereas Travelodge just give an apology
We stay at a Travelodge at Kilmarnock when visiting family in the area. Good points, clean, handy location, friendly staff and we can take our dog with us, but it can be a bit noisy at times as it’s right next to a Macdonald’s which makes the car park busy. 7/10 overall.
I enjoyed that Scott! Never stayed at a travelodge but I used to work at a Best Western so I was intrigued. Dust doesn't bother me but the cleanliness of the loo does! I've been a cleaner & I was good so I'm fussy! People expect different things, some of our reviews were great & others dreadful & they were all getting the same service!
I stay at the airport travelodge a fair bit, I prefer to get early morning flights on outbound as I can then make the most of the first day at my destination, so staying at the travelodge is handier and most of the time cheaper than a early morning long distance taxi. The hotel itself is generally quiet compared to inner city travelodges, still fairly thin walls etc, but generally easy to get a good nights sleep. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Food is generally ok, but not worth the price charged. They do offer an airport shuttle service, which I most of the time decline as it’s a short walk across the airport car park from the hotel
You can tell if a TL has been received refurbished by the walls being a darker blue, USB sockets next to the bed, blackout curtains, plus a nice chair rather than the old plastic one. Oh and the picture above the bed is nicer
hi scott great reviews on the travelodges in fort william dundee and glasgow airport although owned/run by travelodge i always think it is the actual manager who is in charge that reflects the running of their hotel.each manager is different and has different ideas have a great week scott
Really enjoyed this longer format video, allowing adequate time for us to form our own views. Ive stayed at lots of Travelodge, including Glasgow city centre, and theyve all been warm with good food, although some dont have food. Clean too. Have you thought of doing Premier Inns? Often cheaper than Travelodge, and in quieter locations, like Aberdeen for example.
The good lady & I have used Travelodge for to six time a year since 1896. Apart from the fact that I have problems getting my tablet onto their Wi-Fi they are fine. We have occasionally stayed up to six nights.
Scott, I really enjoy your travel videos but I am not sure that using infra-red lights to check for traces of bacteria in toilets is of interest to most viewers - I could be wrong! A little too much detail of the wrong kind in this particular video, for me.
I live in the US southwest, and I've found the Travelodge hotels to be 'hit and miss' a lot. One will be very clean and comfortable, the next is filthy, noisy and not great. They're not always inexpensive either, so I usually avoid that brand.
I have only stayed at four Travelodges around England and haven't had any problems. The ones I have stayed at are Bolton Central, Manchester Central Arena, Sheffield Meadowhall and Ipswich the one located on Duke Street. All nice staff when I have been and always a good night's sleep. The only hotel I have had a problem with is the Premier Inn Derby Riverlights and the fire alarm kept going off during the night because of some smoking next door in the bus station.
I thought the checks for dust were a little excessive. It would be more useful to use a measuring device in the bathroom which is a bit more scientific than the the U.V. Light i.e. something that tells whether there are high levels of harmful bacteria compared to what you find in a typical well maintained home. I remember on the how clean is your house film they had a gizmo that they would use. Great advice for finding the best room rates.
Interesting comments! Last week I stayed 3 nights in Travelodge, Academy Street, Inverness. I had a spacious family room to myself, the king size bed was very comfortable, although the pillows were too firm for me, but I could have changed them. Overall it looked very similar to the ones you visited. The bathroom had a shower over a bath! Plenty hot water, nice towels. The weather was grim, so I was glad to have an evening meal in the hotel, 2 courses for £14. The food was good, and the menu similar to a Wetherspoons - curries, pizza, burgers etc. choice of desserts. The plentiful breakfast choices were as you showed. The small bar was next to reception. The staff were extremely polite and helpful. I would stay there again. PS forgot to mention, extremely central location, handy for buses and trains, and not noisy at night (but my room was at the back) PPS On my second visit I paid the extra £10 for a late check out. I was able to leave my luggage there instead of paying £5 at the railway station locker, and I took some M & S food back to my room, for a relaxing lunch in comfort watching TV instead of a hard seat at the station! I felt it was worth it...
Hi … I’d like to say thank you for posting this extremely helpful information. I’m planning a trip north next year and was unsure of the most convenient place to stay but after reading your comment my mind is made up. I’ll now book that Travelodge as my base. Having a bit of a disability I was in a quandary as what to do for the best. Not any more! 😊. Thank you so much once again for taking the time to post your comment. It’s been so helpful 💐
@@marilynbradley6127 I'm glad my reply helped. This Travelodge has a lift, I'm sure most of them do. It is less than 5 mins walk from the bus station and less than 10 mins walk from the railway station.
@@janettesinclair6279 …That is just perfect! Thanks to you Janette I feel quite confident that this will be my base from now on. I’ve checked it out and it looks lovely. Also the lift is a big advantage for me. Thank you so much 😊
Stayed once in a travel lodge for one night. Went out for tea and on my return found my pillows had been removed, went down to reception, first they know why my pillows had be removed, asked for new pillows, well blow me they no new pillows, what I received was a duvet to roll up. That’s why I gave only stayed once.
Never had an issue withTravelodge and we've stayed in plenty. Always nice bright airy rooms that are usually spotlessly clean. The one in Huddersfield is exceptional. The staff are simply tremendous .
Good video Scott, great idea to review as will certainly help people looking to stay. I think Travelodge are very hit and miss, used to stay in them when our kids were younger on our trips around the UK, but stayed in a poor one in Bristol a few years back and haven't stayed in one since. In my opinion Premier Inn are much better quality for around the same price or a little more so we stay in them if ever travelling around the UK.
Great video as ever Scott, I stay in Travelodge a lot but have gone downhill , never any soap in the soap or bath dispensers, minimal cleaning , but also finding these at day's Inn too.
I've never been thoroughly impressed by a Travelodge on anything other than pricing, but they've always been acceptable stays for the price that was paid. Most of the time, I would pay a little extra per night for Premier Inn if it's available. While they might be of a similar level of quality, they tend to be very consistent across hotels and I appreciate that more.
I love Travelodge, cheap overnight stays, the Greggs is 24 hours haha, they also do the Too good to go bags even more dangerous. The new thing for staff is the Pret membership airside , £30 a month for 5 coffees a day plus 10 % discount. I miss Tesco 24hr.
I love a travelodge. I prefer to stay in them than premier inn, but unfortunately my work now insist on us booking premier inn. Them sleepeeze beds are quality.
Many many years ago Travelodge was my go to place when home from my overseas job in Canada. They did a remarkable £9/£19/and £29 rooms. Used to stay 5 nights in Tunbridge Wells for £45. Always a little rough around the edges but too good to pass up. Clean rooms, good buffet breakfast, and friendly staff. Noticed there rates are significantly more down South now.
We use Travelodge often and the only problem we have had is with not hot water. The staff were very good and changed us to another room and gave us a complimentary breakfast
I remember staying in a Travelodge in London whilst attending a weekend festival, I would love to say the unlimited breakfast was good, but there was a wedding party there who just took the p**s by taking all the bacon and sausages, got to the point where the head of the family was shouting at the manager for more bacon ! he kept saying more bacon you bloody woman (he was Nigerian) and made the room feel uncomfortable.. But the everything else was 100 %. Great video and love your work.
I have stayed in quite a few, and I have never stayed in a bad one. Some of them have been more in need of refurbishment than others, but they have all been clean. Having to pay for the wifi gets on my nerves though
Driving back from our son's after Christmas we were scuppered by the A9 closure due to snow. Managed to get a room at the Strathmore Avenue hotel for £24.99! Room was awful; weird shape and very tired. Terrible lighting. But it did the job. I imagine the building used to be an office block.
As a woman who travels alone I like the bar lock on the door. Stayed at a hotel 2 weeks ago that had the bar lock. I think your assessment of the Travelodge was fair.
I’ve stayed countless times in Travelodge whilst too far from home and working (mainly in Scotland) all I needed was a comfy bed, clean, good value and a great shower for the morning and I’ve had that every time😎
Travelodge are my go-to chain - shame you didn't stay in one of the newer randomly higher specced ones with aircon, much bigger TVs and USB sockets by the beds, as they are great value...maybe one day they will all be upgraded to this level but even the older ones like you've shown are fine for me...
Cheap and cheerful Scott that breakfast looked value for money the branded cereal dispensers alone worth 10 pounds to me I think they under charge but I would never pay 100 pounds ever to stay in one I am glad Travelodge exist
I've stayed in a few different ones (Bradford, New Brighton, Tamworth etc) I always find the staff to be excellent and I've always had a nice stay. I'm a fan of the breakfast box that you can get as an extra in the one's that don't have a dining room/buffet 😃
The Strathmore Avenue one used to be a Care Home, so there wasn't much need for extra sound-proofing back then. But, considering how busy it is, you'd still think they'd get some other issues sorted.
Stayed at a Travel Lodge a few years back. Inside ,couldn't get an internet signal at all. Walked outside , got one straight away. Was offered to buy their package, why couldn't I get a signal on my own minutes.."we don't know". Someone online claimed they used a blocker, so you had to buy their package. Don't know how true, but never stayed in one since. Premier Inn, rarely had a internet issue.
I always look for a Travelodge when I’m away, although it’s been a while since I could get one for less than £30! Great value. Always be realistic about what you expect for your money in any hotel.
We always use Travelodge when on family trips and have always found them to be generally very good. My only gripe in most that we’ve visited is there not being any power sockets by the bed 🛌. I have sleep apnoea and use a cpap machine at night, so I now always ensure I have a short extension lead with me, Lol 😂. Great video as always. 😀👍
We have stayed at Strathmore Ave many times and even when it was a Days Inn. We have never had a problem when staying there, I think you were unlucky on your visit. Great big free car park with bus stop almost right outside to get you into town. Your biggest mistake was not visiting Nicolls Rosebank Bakery, 5 minutes up the road, the food is to die for!
I've stayed in the Dundee Strathmore hotel a few times and found it not too bad. The only thing I would say is make sure to book a room away from the lifts and they are noisy as hell and run all night
As long as i can get a shower, make a brew, get a good night's sleep, and not have to walk a mile for breakfast, either a TL or PI does me. Personally, I prefer PI as they tend to be cheaper, but thats the Yorkshireman in me. Never had a major problem wherever we stayed.
Very interesting video. Rooms looked fine to me. Key elements for me in accommodation are a comfortable bed, clean shower, tea/coffee making facilities very welcome, charging points near the bed (nice to have), quietness and working room temperature control. The Dundee Strathmore failed on heat control - possible all three could fail on quietness if the walls/ceilings are so thin. I'm really not bothered about a bit of dust or the odd knock/scrape here and there. For £28 it's a bargain. Paying £100 I'd be less impressed.
Dare you to look under the pillowcase / mattress covers for stains . Toenail clippings under the bed . Things behind the pull out drawers or radiators.
Our only experience of Travelodge was on a trip from Kirkheaton Yorkshire to Strathpeffer a few years ago. We split the trip with an overnight at the Travelodge in Falkirk, it was basic and next to the M9 motorway but with triple glazed windows we had a good night’s sleep. In the evening we visited the Wheel and Kelpies, on s later visit to Scotland we had a trip on the wheel. There was an Italian restaurant on the site which was very good, for the price of the motel as a Yorkshireman, who are regarded as Scots with the generosity gene removed, we were happy with the cost.
travelodge is just like premier inn, you know what you're getting. bit cheaper than a premier inn and often you can get a super room cheaper than a premier inn standard room, and id always take that option. they're both good, you always are guaranteed a decent room and the prices are fair
