Premierinn surprised at how expensive it is?

[Lochnessgiraffe]

I was looking at premierinn today for 2 nights in Cheltenham for next week and it's nearly £300!
Need to go up for work and was budgeting around £200. Have the prices gone up or is it just the time of year? Now need to find somewhere cheaper. Or relook at my budget.

I've paid £40 for a twin room for 1 night for end of July, but did book last half term holidays.

Prices have shot up everywhere. We aren't having a "proper" holiday this year for a number of reasons but we have a few weekends away booked and it's been hard to find affordable accomodation. We've managed to find a family room in a B&B for £155 a night including breakfast in Dorset this weekend which is a real bargain- the nearest Premier Inns would have been well over twice that as we'd have needed two rooms, plus extra for breakfast. I haven't found a Premier Inn room all year that's been under £100 once you've paid for breakfast.
There is probably still the occasional bargain to be had if you pick the right date and location and book well in advance, but the days when you could get a room for £40 or £50 in most places seem to be long gone. Travelodges aren't much less now either. We've been looking for independent places as a result, but of course it's a bit more risky and needs more careful research. At least with a Premier Inn you do generally know what you're getting.