Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: halhorner on 01 July, 2018, 09:41:06 pm
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Hello... I'm considering booking a Travelodge for a few hours kip on an upcoming 600. I expect to arrive around midnight but could be anytime really. I think I read somewhere that they have 24h check in... Is this correct? Cheers!
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They do indeed.
But it's worth phoning them in the early part of the evening to tell them you are definitely coming. They have been known to overbook and the last one to arrive misses out. They do refund and find you another hotel if that happens but it all takes time, time you need for sleep on a 600
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Premier Inn allow you to check in online before you arrive - very useful for audax purposes.
I don’t think Travelodge offer the same, and the possibility of arriving in the middle of the night to find they’re full and expect me to relocate to a different hotel 30 miles away puts me off using them. Shame if they’re the only option in your sleep stop location.
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Premier Inn allow you to check in online before you arrive - very useful for audax purposes.
I don’t think Travelodge offer the same, and the possibility of arriving in the middle of the night to find they’re full and expect me to relocate to a different hotel 30 miles away puts me off using them. Shame if they’re the only option in your sleep stop location.
Whilst that is indeed an unnerving prospect, the chances of it happening are really very small. I've used Travelodge literally hundreds of times (including turning up at "audax" o'clock) and never experienced it.
As said, a quick call in the evening (which I've never bothered to do) would reduce the probability still further.
Travelodge are usually significantly cheaper than Premier and other chains IME.
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Having experienced Travelodge's yield management regime of overbooking, I would never seek to use them again. I am now a convert to Premier Inns.
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I ring in the morning, request a ground floor room, advise I'll be there late and ask for a room number (Which they don't always give) I doubt that guarantees anything, I like to think it minimises the chances of getting bumped.
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I recently checked in to the Tewkesbury TL during the ACME Grand (we arrived at 12:10 and left at 04:30). TL have somebody on the desk 24H. Phoning ahead if you are going to be late ^ is a good idea. I asked the night staff about arriving in the early hours and mentioned the type of cycling we do. I can't remember his exact response but it was along the lines of them wanting to complete their paperwork overnight for the previous day. He also mentioned that they can re-open the file if necessary and that it wasn't such a big thing to do.
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Whilst that is indeed an unnerving prospect, the chances of it happening are really very small. I've used Travelodge literally hundreds of times (including turning up at "audax" o'clock) and never experienced it.
Others have, though.
Part of the reason TL are so cheap is because they strip back the service - you have to pay extra for various things that come as standard with Premier Inn, eg wifi. Of course, that may not be an issue if you don't care about those extras - I don't imagine wifi is top of the typical audaxer's hotel wishlist.
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Whilst that is indeed an unnerving prospect, the chances of it happening are really very small. I've used Travelodge literally hundreds of times (including turning up at "audax" o'clock) and never experienced it.
Others have, though.
Part of the reason TL are so cheap is because they strip back the service - you have to pay extra for various things that come as standard with Premier Inn, eg wifi. Of course, that may not be an issue if you don't care about those extras - I don't imagine wifi is top of the typical audaxer's hotel wishlist.
Indeed. I'm usually too knackered to be worried about WiFi. These days 4g is pretty ubiquitous anyway.
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[Almost OT]
Premier Inn's basic Wifi is VERY slow. (See speed thread in Ctrl-Alt-Del)
I don't think I'd give a toss for Audaxing purposes.
I've been pestered for my Accessible Room booking twice on the day before intended and pre-booked travel.
Which did not please me.
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you have to pay extra for various things that come as standard with Premier Inn, eg wifi.
You do get half an hour free, that's usually enough for me.
What other extras do you pay for in a TL that are free in a Premier?
I recently paid an extra tenner to check in an hour early in the the Newcastle TL, of course I resented it, but I'd been wet for 10 hours and I'd probably have paid anything to be dry.
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What other extras do you pay for in a TL that are free in a Premier?
I recently paid an extra tenner to check in an hour early in the the Newcastle TL, of course I resented it, but I'd been wet for 10 hours and I'd probably have paid anything to be dry.
Not sure. Probably nothing worth paying for. I just remember last time I booked a Travelodge being pestered to fork out a tenner a time for various things I wasn't interested in - the experience is similar to flying on Easyjet.
Although I probably would have been happy to pay a tenner to check in early in the same circumstances.
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You do have to pay for breakfast at a PI but that is always in a proper restaurant and has an 'all you can eat' option.
TL breakfasts are cold cardboard boxes AIUI.
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You do have to pay for breakfast at a PI but that is always in a proper restaurant and has an 'all you can eat' option.
TL breakfasts are cold cardboard boxes AIUI.
Yes, you have to pay in Premier Inn for breakfast and they are not necessarily cheap or great quality but are better than Travelodge. If they are located near to other eateries, then the alternatives may be a better option.
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TL breakfasts are cold cardboard boxes AIUI.
Not in all - the Newcastle one mentioned above had the "All you can eat" option and I did ;)
It was actually pretty decent, not the best breakfast I've ever had but certainly not the worst.
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You do have to pay for breakfast at a PI but that is always in a proper restaurant and has an 'all you can eat' option.
TL breakfasts are cold cardboard boxes AIUI.
"Classic" Travelodges do not have any dining facilities [so you should worry if your cardboard box is warm.]
I've seen a couple that are actually conversions of "proper" hotels with a bar and/or basic restaurant. They tend to have nicer rooms too :thumbsup:
I haven't stayed in every UK Tlodge, so don't take this as gospel ...
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Thanks everyone. Does anyone know if they allow you to take your bike into the room with you?
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Thanks everyone. Does anyone know if they allow you to take your bike into the room with you?
Yes they do.
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TL breakfasts are cold cardboard boxes AIUI.
Not in all - the Newcastle one mentioned above had the "All you can eat" option and I did ;)
It was actually pretty decent, not the best breakfast I've ever had but certainly not the worst.
True.
Some Travelodges now do eat all you can breakfast. Cheaper than Premier Inn eat all you can and I say that Premier Inn are well worth the extra money because the food is nicer and they have more options. Also nte, you don't need to stay in a Premier Inn to have a breakfast there. I often turn up to a Premier Inn just to have a breakfast. If you eat a lot, it's cheaper than buying several breakfasts elsewhere. ;D
Premier Inn have a policy to always accommodate a bike 9as part of the 2012 Olympic legacy) and you can turn up at any hour to check in. Same as at a Travelodge, except, as mentioned, Travelodge sometimes overbook and you can get caught out. It's the busy Travelodges that get overbooked. Major tourist places like Norwich or York. I once used a TL near Norwich for a DIY 600 and made the route pass it early in the ride so I could check in and baggsy a room as I suspected it wuld be overbooked, as every other TL in the area was full. I was right!
AFAIK, Premier Inn don't overbook, but don't hold me to account over that!
Travelodge are often cheaper, but not always.
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You do have to pay for breakfast at a PI but that is always in a proper restaurant and has an 'all you can eat' option.
TL breakfasts are cold cardboard boxes AIUI.
"Classic" Travelodges do not have any dining facilities [so you should worry if your cardboard box is warm.]
I've seen a couple that are actually conversions of "proper" hotels with a bar and/or basic restaurant. They tend to have nicer rooms too :thumbsup:
e.g. Tewkesbury.
I usually choose premier inn over travelodge but at tewkesbury I go for the travelodge.
Derby pride park TL has a nice integral restaurant as well.
Premier inn's breakfasts are horrible.
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Premier inn's breakfasts are horrible.
Again, there is probably some variation in this! (or between our views on breakfast ... )
Stafford (North - "Spitfire"? ) was yummy last month. Like a regular hotel breakfast (admittedly not a hotel with many stars, but I rarely stay in such hotels. )
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Premier inn's breakfasts are horrible.
Again, there is probably some variation in this! (or between our views on breakfast ... )
Stafford (North - "Spitfire"? ) was yummy last month. Like a regular hotel breakfast (admittedly not a hotel with many stars, but I rarely stay in such hotels. )
This depends on your hunger, budget and expectations.
£9 for all you can eat from the usual range of fares seems fine. I've not had any DREADFUL experience.
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Some Travelodges now do eat all you can breakfast
Huh? ???
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Edinburgh City TL definitely did the all you can eat breakfast (at least back in 2009 it did).
Scottlington and I arrived there at the end of a 3 day ride up from London (300, 300, 200) and proceeded to decimate the buffet at breakfast the following morning. The manager came over to check we weren't putting half the food in our pockets, when we explained the cycling we'd done he understood why we had such appetites.
The last Premier Inn I stayed at (before/after the Mersey Roads 24) didn't have an all you can eat breakfast despite having a Beefeater style pub/restaurant next to it. They had a cold buffet but the hot buffet was by order only.
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Premier inn's breakfasts are horrible.
Again, there is probably some variation in this! (or between our views on breakfast ... )
Stafford (North - "Spitfire"? ) was yummy last month. Like a regular hotel breakfast (admittedly not a hotel with many stars, but I rarely stay in such hotels. )
This depends on your hunger, budget and expectations.
£9 for all you can eat from the usual range of fares seems fine. I've not had any DREADFUL experience.
I have. Once at the fort william one they asked if I wanted any poached eggs and 15 minutes later it still hadn't come so I reminded them, few seconds later it arrived, it had obviously been cooking, forgotten-about, for the full 15 minutes. The same one also absolutely refused to let me bring my bike in, and I claimed a refund under the 'good night guarantee' that applies if you don't get a good night's sleep, because I obviously hadn't been able to sleep for worrying about it. :demon:
FWIW I do still eat the premier inn breakfast if it's the only thing going and there's no McD's nearby but find the cooked items taste fairly 'processed' and often cold.
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Premier Inn lets you pay less if you don't want cooked breakfast (vegetarian ahoy), Travelodge doesn't.
I'm baffled by why so many of them were built without breakfast facilities - even the crappiest Hotel F1 does a decent buffet breakfast.
Ibis Budget is similarly priced and nicer than either, although most of them are in city centres so don't intersect much with audax routes.
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Dunno. Maybe they reckoned that any catering would mean extra staff, and their whole business model is based on vv low outgoings.
(and you lose 2-3 bedrooms?)
Ask a hotelier!
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Derby pride park TL has a nice integral restaurant as well.
I pass that nearly every day, it's an example of one that used to be a different hotel and it's now bugging me that I can't remember what :-\
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FWIW I do still eat the premier inn breakfast if it's the only thing going and there's no McD's nearby but find the cooked items taste fairly 'processed' and often cold.
Mc Donalds better than Premier Inn!?
:o
Sounds like you've had some very crap Premier Inn Breakfasts. All of mine have been good so far. or they're just not for you.
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Dunno. Maybe they reckoned that any catering would mean extra staff, and their whole business model is based on vv low outgoings.
That's what I reckon. Providing breakfast presumably mean hygiene certificates etc as well=more overheads, whereas breakfast boxes are just a delivery service.
Premier Inns have a pub/restaurant chain attached, so the hotel doesn't do catering, the pub/restaurant does. Travelodges have Little Chefs ( :sick:) or petrol garages, usually. Those estates with services or hotel/restaurant etc chains are all grouped together.
Even Redwings (former Travelodges that were shut down years ago and haven't been refurnished, so are somewhat shabby but are a bit cheaper) do F1 style breakfasts.
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Mc Donalds better than Premier Inn!?
I reckon McD's is more consistent than Premier Inn - I've had some very acceptable breakfasts in Premier Inns and some pretty awful ones. McDonald's seems to be pretty much exactly the same every time.
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McDonald's seems to be pretty much exactly the same every time.
True, consistently awful.
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Dunno. Maybe they reckoned that any catering would mean extra staff, and their whole business model is based on vv low outgoings.
That's what I reckon. Providing breakfast presumably mean hygiene certificates etc as well=more overheads, whereas breakfast boxes are just a delivery service.
More staff required for short shifts at irregular hours (5am to 11am for example) is the biggest hindrance. It works for places that do lunch/evening food as you can staff breakfast time with split shifts and get them to do the prep work for the later sittings.
Most TL will survive with one front of house staff on shift 24h and one or two room cleaning staff (who can generally work a reasonable shift cleaning rooms from the earliest checkout onwards). They'll be a handy(wo)man on call for anything that needs fixing.
TL's really are run as stripped back as possible, there's good money in it.
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McDonald's seems to be pretty much exactly the same every time.
True, consistently awful.
Consistent yes. But only some items on the menu are consistently awful.
The (non-mechnically recovered) chicken tends to be ok, e.g. the chicken strips. I personally steer clear of most forms of burgers from McDs or BK.
Cheap homogeneous food definitely has its place in society (I just wish they'd remove some of the most unhealthy items from their menu).
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Have to admit I'm partial to a Bacon & Egg McMuffin, even if the bacon they use isn't the highest quality. And McDonald's coffee is surprisingly acceptable - not great, but if I stop for a coffee at a motorway services, I'll choose McDonald's over Starbucks or Costa.
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but if I stop for a coffee at a motorway services, I'll choose McDonald's over Starbucks or Costa.
Discerning... ;D
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Have to admit I'm partial to a Bacon & Egg McMuffin, even if the bacon they use isn't the highest quality. And McDonald's coffee is surprisingly acceptable - not great, but if I stop for a coffee at a motorway services, I'll choose McDonald's over Starbucks or Costa.
I once sat and ate 3 egg & cheese muffins, sheer bliss!
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but if I stop for a coffee at a motorway services, I'll choose McDonald's over Starbucks or Costa.
Discerning... ;D
Oh yes, only the best for me.
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but if I stop for a coffee at a motorway services, I'll choose McDonald's over Starbucks or Costa.
Discerning... ;D
Oh yes, only the best for me.
Oh, it's a fair choice I think - better than Starbucks, cheaper than Costa.
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McFlurry is nice as well a d good to have in the current heat.
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... also absolutely refused to let me bring my bike in, and I claimed a refund under the 'good night guarantee' that applies if you don't get a good night's sleep, because I obviously hadn't been able to sleep for worrying about it. :demon:
Was your claim successful?
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Have to admit I'm partial to a Bacon & Egg McMuffin, even if the bacon they use isn't the highest quality. And McDonald's coffee is surprisingly acceptable - not great, but if I stop for a coffee at a motorway services, I'll choose McDonald's over Starbucks or Costa.
Costa massively mark up their coffee at motorways stops. £2.60 for a double espresso takes the piss.
McDonalds seem to hold their prices along with the High Street.
Back to the OP. I've used Travelodges with the bike numerous times and not had a problem.
I used 2 Premier Inns on last weekend's 1000 and both were excellent. I was away before they served breakfast, but have always found the food reasonable. One of them had air con which was just what I needed to get my core temperature back down.
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FWIW I do still eat the premier inn breakfast if it's the only thing going and there's no McD's nearby but find the cooked items taste fairly 'processed' and often cold.
Mc Donalds better than Premier Inn!?
:o
Sounds like you've had some very crap Premier Inn Breakfasts. All of mine have been good so far. or they're just not for you.
:) I don't think they're intrinsically bad food but I think it's that I'm a stickler for temperature, I like my food piping hot, can't stand tepid stuff. May have just got fed up of them.
In McDs if you get tepid chips I can just give them back and ask nicely for hot ones and I have never known them not oblige.
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... also absolutely refused to let me bring my bike in, and I claimed a refund under the 'good night guarantee' that applies if you don't get a good night's sleep, because I obviously hadn't been able to sleep for worrying about it. :demon:
Was your claim successful?
Yes, albeit they said ok this time but please speak to us first 'to give us the opportunity to put it right' in future - presumably so they can solve the problem that's preventing you sleeping and avoid paying but in this case they'd already refused to do what I wanted them to do. The condition on which a refund is available, that you didn't get a good night's sleep, is ridiculous as it's impossible to prove either way and thus to contradict, so I took it to mean 'unsatisfied' rather than 'couldn't sleep'. I'm a good customer so I'm not going to lose any (more) sleep over it. :)
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... also absolutely refused to let me bring my bike in, and I claimed a refund under the 'good night guarantee' that applies if you don't get a good night's sleep, because I obviously hadn't been able to sleep for worrying about it. :demon:
Was your claim successful?
Yes, albeit they said ok this time but please speak to us first 'to give us the opportunity to put it right' in future - presumably so they can solve the problem that's preventing you sleeping and avoid paying but in this case they'd already refused to do what I wanted them to do. The condition on which a refund is available, that you didn't get a good night's sleep, is ridiculous as it's impossible to prove either way and thus to contradict, so I took it to mean 'unsatisfied' rather than 'couldn't sleep'. I'm a good customer so I'm not going to lose any (more) sleep over it. :)
It has crossed my mind that I could try for a refund on very Premier Inn I've stayed in because of their good night sleep policy, on account of having sleep apnoea.
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To be honest, they don't say WHY you have to have not had a good night's sleep, so give it a go :thumbsup:
I may also have not had a good night's sleep after having slept well, but for only four hours, after intentionally getting up at 4am to finish the 600 :P
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I have not read this thread in detail, but there have been similar ones in the past.
I would not use a Travel Lodge ever again, see below from 2015. Please be aware what their Overbook and Relocate Policy can mean to you & your ride. We were reasonably well compensated, but it no way made up for our disappointment to DNF the ride. A client of mine was a manger at a Premier Inn & you really do not have to give a reason for not being able to sleep, or at least didn't have to a few years ago & I am not aware that they have a similar policy.
"I'm almost certain that Peter & Amanda turned up at a travelodge in the North West somewhere on the Border Raid 600 2011 in the pouring rain, their PBP qualifier, and were told no room at the Inn and advised to go elsewhere. They DNF.
(My wedding night at Newcastle Airport Premier Inn turned out to be a taxi ride and a night in Cramlington. Overselling is industry wide)"
Thanks BOAB, it was Edinburgh-Preston-Edinburgh.
Travelodge breached a contract we had with them by overbooking and reselling our room.
We booked for a brief stop at a Travelodge on the M6 during the 600km ride. We booked on-line then telephoned to say we would be arriving by bicycle ~ 2am and asking if we could we leave a bag-drop for us to collect on the night. They were happy with this plan of ours and never mentioned their overbook & re-locate policy. We then confirmed conversation with an email, which they responded to, still not mentioning the policy. A week or so later we called in to leave the overnight bag. This had a large label on it saying it would be collected ~ 2am on the night in question. They were happy to accept the bag and hold it for us, again, no mention of the possibility that we could be moved to another hotel.
On the night in question (exceptionally cold, wet & windy) we arrived as planned to be told that we head been relocated to another hotel ‘not far’ up the motorway (30 miles.) Obviously this was out of the question for us, even though they did offer a taxi to take us there, which would not arrive for over 1/2 hour. Loading the tandem, making the journey etc would have taken too long, resulting in no time sleep and leaving us off course or facing anther taxi ride. So we left and slept in the adjacent service station. The anger, frustration, lack of sleep and poor weather all contributed to our DNF & we were not the only ones on the train in the morning.
We put in a formal complaint and Travelodge did recognise that they had breached the specific contract that they had with us, outwith their normal terms & conditions, and gave us a full refund, plus the costs of our accommodation the previous night for the start of the event, plus compensation. However, I feel they got off lightly given the profits they make from this policy.
Such a policy may not make much difference to motorists, but makes a huge difference to cyclists, especially on a PBP qualifying 600km ride. If I were to book into a Travelodge again I would make it clear that I would be cycling, specify an arrival time and confirm it all in writing stating that the overbook and relocate policy would not apply. Then I would cross my fingers!
Premier Inns have never let us down and I am not aware that they have a similar policy."
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Premier Inns have never let us down and I am not aware that they have a similar policy."[/i][/i][/i][/color]
Even if they do, it's easy to avoid falling foul of it by checking in online ahead of your arrival - which you can do up to 48hrs in advance.
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You do have to pay for breakfast at a PI but that is always in a proper restaurant and has an 'all you can eat' option.
The PI I stayed at in Wrexham had the All-You-Can-Eat buffet option on the weekend ( and I did eat my own bodyweight on the Saturday morning before the 24 ).
But on the Monday morning before heading home, it was not a buffet, it was a tell-us-what-you-want-and-we'll-bring-it-over.
Or perhaps that was just for me :-)
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I think the cooked breakfast at a PI does need to be ordered but I don't know if you can order seconds (or order LOTS OF EVERYTHING first time around).
The 'Continental' items are on an 'all you can eat' buffet.
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(My wedding night at Newcastle Airport Premier Inn turned out to be a taxi ride and a night in Cramlington. Overselling is industry wide)
Unlike Travelodge, the Premier Inn T+Cs don't mention relocation, so unless the terms were different in the past this was a breach of contract (or the Newcastle hotel was on fire).
Missing from the other tale of woe is a phone call to the hotel reception on the night - making sure the staff on duty know is the only way I'd expect to guarantee a room for a late arrival.
(oddly the PI T+Cs explicitly tell you to do this if you plan to arrive after 11 pm, for vague reasons about reception doors being locked)
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I think the cooked breakfast at a PI does need to be ordered
It doesn't, it's just kept warm in tureens under a lamp. You can pay for it in advance, which they would like you to do, but you can just walk-up and pay on the spot and it costs no more,which is what I always do.
Poached eggs and porridge are the only things that are cooked to order.
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And veggie sausages :)
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You can have porridge as part of a cheaper continental.
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You can have porridge as part of a cheaper continental.
can you really, that's good to know...I often just want something hot, it's almost certainly much hotter than what passes for bacon and sausages in there :thumbsup:
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Checked in at 0630 at a Travelodge in May. Didn't plan to be that late but they didn't bat an eyelid!it was fine but I should have phoned ahead
A Premier Inn was annoyed when I checked in at 0400 on another night but it was still fine, again better to phone ahead
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You can have porridge as part of a cheaper continental.
can you really, that's good to know...I often just want something hot, it's almost certainly much hotter than what passes for bacon and sausages in there :thumbsup:
Certainly can at Premier Inn.
No idea about Travelodge.
AIUI the 'Continental' option is £6.99 and Premier option is £8.99.
The extra £2 buys a lot if that's what you want. I'm not a cooked breakfast person and my modest breakfast does not really justify £7.