Hotel stay

[hhsa]

So I've never stayed in a hotel. Really want to get out of my house 1 night for a change. Where do I start and how to choose a hotel for staying night.

Have you took a look on sites like trivago and booking.com? They show star ratings of hotels and pictures etc. I don’t know your budget but if you’re looking for a cheap decent hotel I find premier inns are always a good choice.

Thank u. It's the anxiety of trying something for the first time. Can anyone tell me about their hotel stay?

What is your budget?
Do you want somewhere luxury or just to not be in the house for a night?

Budget is ok. Luxury would do. I'm just scared about booking and going.

How much is your budget? That’s really important for us to know.

I suppose as I have kids too maybe £100 maximum maybe family room

I’d choose a big chain hotel if you’re anxious about booking and checking in etc. Novotel or Jury’s Inn. You’ll know the room are of a certain standard and will be able to see lots of photos online. Staff are usually very professional, nice but not overly chatty and not there to ask your life story. Everything is very predictable and orderly and if there’s any problems (which there shouldn’t be) staff won’t bat an eyelid at dealing with them.

Chain is best as a newbie as you tend to get a carbon copy product- comfy bed, nice linens, good service, usually quite warm but most hotels are.

If you are taking the dc go to one with a pool. Village Hotels usually have great leisure facilities but their rooms are less comfy than say a Marriott.

Premier Inn over Travelodge every time. No pool though.

Thank u for ur replies. Will check out Marriott and premier inn.

If you’re worried about booking and going, could you choose your nearest chain hotel and book there? You then know that you can go home easily if it’s a bit strange or not your cup of tea.... I would go for a Premier Inn for a first stay.

Village hotels do good dinner, bed and breakfast deals and have nice leisure facilities.

How old are the children?
Is there a town not too far from home that might be nice to spend time in?

If you’re going by public transport, check out any hotel’s location; if you’re driving, is there free parking?

I prefer to book bed and breakfast; if it’s not included in the booking, it can add £10 or more each per day.

Do you have a particular town or area in mind?

I'd recommend Village Hotels too if there one near you. Its more of an occasion if the kids have a pool to use. Be careful you check opening times of the pool to see what the child restrictions are. Its adults only from 5.30 pm in my local one.

If you want something simple where nothing can catch you out, I recommend a Premier Inn.
Book online; arrive & go into reception & either check in electronically or speak to the person at the desk. Decide if you want one key or two (we usually go for one per adult in a room). Go to your room (you will need to use your key to let you through some of the doors on the corridor and into your room). When you first go into your room, the lights won't go one. You need to slot one of the keys into the little slot by the door which then activates your light.
Once in the room, there will be a double bed and then one or two single beds. There will be a TV, a kettle, a couple of mugs, a couple of glasses, sachets of tea & coffee & UHT milk (and more are available at reception). There aren't any free biscuits and nor is there a mini bar or any form of fridge.
There is an en suite bathroom with a shower over a bath, sink & loo. There is some shower gel/shampoo in a dispenser attached to a wall but no mini toiletries or vanity sets.
The beds are made up and there are usually a couple of spare pillows. They don't have dressing gowns or slippers. There is a hair dryer.
There is always some form of restaurant attached to the hotel. Breakfast is a buffet and around £8.99 per adult and a child eats free with each paying adult. We've never had any other meals there so I can't comment but there will be a kids menu and the rest of the menu looks fairly standard in a wide ranging sort of way (eg they'll have curry, fish & chips, burgers & pasta).
There is nothing to do in the hotel. No sitting area; no pool or gym; no grounds to walk around. We go there to sleep and that's it!

4 kids ages range from 17 to 7 years old. Has anyone stayed at premier inn. Thinking trafford centre premier inn then can spend day there too.

Cobsweboncornices thank u for so description. Made me feel abit better about knowing what to expect.

@hhsa - premier Inns sleep a max of two adults and two children, so if you have four children you won’t fit.

There aren’t many hotels which cater for larger families without needing two rooms and you usually need one adult (18+) per room. Some hotels do inter locking rooms (two rooms with a door between) but you would be paying double.

Would your older children be happy sharing a room altogether? It could be quite a squeeze and not give you the experience you are hoping for.

Holiday Inn express is another good chain as they include buffet breakfast for everyone in their price, while still being a very familiar chain like Premier Inn. Most big chain hotels you don't even need to see someone to check in now, they have self service check in where you enter your email address, swipe your payment card and it spits out the key card that will unlock your room.

I go quite often with my kid to a hotel for a change and a sort of mini holiday. I always see it for what it is, I’m paying to stay in a different room for a while...some more expensive than others depending on services. Everything is usually fine, if not I ask to move room. People are always friendly, and we feel like we’ve had a break.
Hotels are a business who rely on all sorts of people and welcome you and your trade. So basically don’t worry OP 😃

I forgot - I always check out how kid friendly the hotel is via trip adviser and of course, the local amenities and stuff to do if I don’t know the area obvs !

If your in Manchester then are a few Village hotels that are nice
And on the weekends can be quiet cheap around £50 a night per room
If your taking kids you might want to book 2 rooms
Most rooms will only sleep 2 people though
And if it sleeps 4 it will be a sofa bed type but not at the Village where it’s some sort of pull out mattress