To bloody love budget hotels

[Onesieisthequeensselfie]

Like premier inn, travelodge, ibis etc.

I have to travel lots for work and have a choice of accommodation booked for me or be given the equivalent in cash and book it myself.

Budget hotels are absolutely brilliant!!! Clean room, often conveniently located and, bonus, some extra left over to put towards a nice holiday.

BUT, I do admit to being a bit embarrassed if colleagues ask me where I'm staying and just mumble something about a little boutique hotel locally and quickly change the subject.

AIBU to be embarrassed and should I be out and proud to wave the premier inn flag?!

Mind you the mini bar option at PI are not as interesting as the hotel room I m currently in!

Stayed at PI in Gatwick Friday night; great night rest and amazingly although we could see planes taking off you couldn't hear them at all. Not cheap there though.

Currently in an amazing room in Las Vegas though admittedly rather dearer - which is fine as far as my ratings compared to PI go. But the mini bar here is making our teen dd smirk - intimacy kit anyone?! You don't get that at PI!

Another Premier Inn fan. I go away for work probably about 5 / 6 times a year and we have to let work book it and keep within a moderate budget - I have got very good at finding the best priced nearest PI and saying 'could you book me into...?' as left to their own devices work would book twee hotels for the same or more. They recently booked my colleague into a shabby studenty type place and when I looked it would have cost less to go to the local PI! Beds are comfy, wifi perfectly good (I don't download stuff while there, just surf and email) and TVs generally good. I always feel content eating on my own there in the restaurant, or sitting with a book in the bar. Plus the staff are very nice and helpful.

Should say that I once got booked into a Travelodge in London as the nearby PIs were all over the work budget. The general look of them is not as nice as PI, nor is the food (can't beat PI breakfast) but I must say that at that one, the staff were absolutely lovely, and they were dealing with some difficult customers.

I love premier inn, travelodge not so much.

1st January this year, I booked a family room in southend on sea for £39, extra for breakfast for the 4 of us! Even had a sea view. We spent New Year's Day on the worlds longest pleasure pier and watched seals off the end. Great value.

onsie sorry only just saw your reply.
The one I stayed at basically let guests run riot, front desk unmanned after a certain time, no phones in room to contact any staff, and main phone line on answerphone (I tried to call hotel from mobile within my room in the end). As I was in my room alone, several months pregnant, with a very large group of rampaging men in the corridor outside, who at one point started hammering on the door, then making a concerted effort to kick it in, this was very frightening. my choice was to wait it out or exit room in my pjs to go to the deserted reception. I seconds from calling police at one point.
We complained in the morning and were told we should have expected noise at a city centre location. Maybe, but not to be held under siege in your room while men people scream/chant football songs/intermittently hammer on your door until 6am with complete impunity.

I realise it was probably this particular branch but I just won't take the risk again.

I'm a bit of a budget hotel 'tart'. I have to book 2 nights every week because of work, so I switch between 3 main chains, whichever is the cheapest (I book up to 6 months in advance) and have about 6 hotels I regularly use), so regular they all know my name and ever pre-reserve my favourite room for me .

Without budget hotels I wouldn't keep my job as I live 100 miles from the office and it saves huge stress and strain being local for 3 days. And feels like a mini break!

In order of preference

Premier Inn (Fab! free wifi, coffee/tea in room, nice bathrooms, slightly more 'savvy' staff)
Travelodge (Great beds now refurbed - but stingy 30 min free wifi)

Ibis and Holiday Inn Express, not so good, they take the word budget to the extreme! Ibis don't provide a kettle for hot drinks in the rooms, which is surely a basic minimum nowadays.

I like budget hotels too. You know exactly what you're getting, and as many of them have been built in the last 5 years or refurbished so they are modern and clean. We recently stayed in a holiday inn express and it was great. Even got a cooked breakfast!

Great for a short 1 or 2 night break but wouldn't want to stay for longer.

Arched , That's shocking, but I'm not surprised re. the chanting/ noise etc. as the staffing is minimal to keep costs low. I have complained about the riotous behaviour of some guest. It's generally young laddish types but also young women who think it's OK for their kids to sprint up and down the corridors, knocking on all the doors as they go. I politely asked them to stop and was told where to go

I mystery shop hotels and regularly stay in 4 or 5 star. The experience of reporting on every bloody thing has made me quite jaded of them.

YANBU to love PI or TL - give me those any day over poncey shite! As long as the room is clean and a comfy bed then I'm happy!

I stay at Ibis hotels quite a lot (I've always had a kettle in my room, as far as I can remember. Perhaps Ibis Budget doesn't have them.) I registered on Accorr website and so collect points towards free nights. Paid for my room in Barcelona with points when I took my son there. I also joined the Ibis Business scheme (costs about 65 quid for a year) and get 10% off everything from rooms to food. I like Ibis breakfast and whenever I go to London, even if I stay elsewhere, I will eat breakfast at the Ibis by Euston train station before catching my train home.

Premier Inn definitely has larger rooms and very comfortable mattresses but they're not significantly better than Ibis. (At least the Ibis locations I stay at the most.) Ibis has no air conditioning and so I wouldn't recommend them during a heatwave.

Motel One is another great chain. I often stay in the one between Aldgate and Tower Bridge. Very tiny rooms - but chic decor. Excellent air conditioning. I don't bother with the breakfast as it's only Continental - I will go to the Ibis or nearby Premier Inn for my breakfast when I stay there.

Worst hotel I've experienced lately was the Hilton in Maidstone. Looks lovely on the surface but absolutely terrible. No hot water, toilet didn't flush, telly didn't work, weird clock radio thing didn't work, Wifi didn't work. Furniture all a bit chipped and shabby. The gym and pool were nice - I think that's what made it a 4-star hotel - but it was far inferior to Ibis/Premier Inn in terms of the actual room.

Jurys Inn has been buying up big hotels near motorway junctions (like what was formerly the Thistle in Cheltenham, former Oxford Hotel in Oxford). I think they're a bit pricey (I'm a cheapskate) but they have decent gym/pools and the rooms are very comfortable and good. Only problem is they're generally undergoing renovations and you may have a lot of hammering going on around you.

Love Premier Inn...

we camp a lot so a PI is LUXURY

We are jury's inn fans here :-)

Jurys in in Bingham is the only hotel in Brum that we stay at.

I have my first stay in a Premier Inn soon, I hoped it would be ok but after reading this thread I am positively excited!

We love Premier Inn. They must be doing something right in their recruitment/training as the staff are always lovely and very, very helpful.

We were once sent a customer satisfaction survey after a stay. I mentioned that the extra beds for the kids hadn't been made up on arrival. Staff at the time had quickly remedied it and I only mentioned it in passing to make the point that they'd been helpful.

Next thing I know we've been refunded the cost of the room (and this was over a week later) for the inconvenience!

We use PI sometimes and Hilton when DH has enough loyalty points (travels with work).

There's very little difference in the room itself except the toiletries. Most of the difference is in the rest of the hotel - we've had some nice swims in Hilton pools and the breakfast is naicer.

A Hilton has never been worth £100 more per night than a PI.

I think what sets PI apart from the other budget hotels is their consistency. We've never ever been disappointed at a PI: the room is a predictable shape with practical layout, the bed is always comfortable and well made, the shower works, you can operate the A/C easily, etc.

daisy from what's been said on this thread I think I'd give PI a try should the need arise again :)

I love PI and Holiday Inn Express are pretty good too but refuse to stay in TI on principal after a bad experience 6 years ago. Staying in the PI in Frome en route to Cornwall and can't wait.

Oh good lord, I LOVE PI. I am currently in one for work. They are always good, consistent, free and decent wi fi and you can upgrade to super fast broadband for £5 if you want to stream films.
The staff are always great and they always feel safe for a solo business traveller. You get what you need for as low as £29 a night. My boss always asks me to get a quote from the official TAs we use with work, then get a PI quote and it's often £150 cheaper!
Meal deal is £23.99 - 2 course dinner with a glass of wine plus free breakfast. The ones with Thyme restaurants are the newest and imo the nicest.

I needed an affordable hotel last week, ended up at a De Vere's Venue - brilliant breakfast. Not as cheap as PI or TL, but the food was worth it - £67.50 for a double. Finding affordable rooms for one person isn't easy, tho.

Agree with MrsHathaway, the difference between PI and 'posher' hotels is the public areas. The rooms are of a muchness. Dh and I went through a phase of getting 5* Hotels through discount sites but found the rooms weren't great and extras like drinks at the bar were shockingly expensive. We much prefer PI these days.

Just spent 4 nights in the ibis budget by the excel London. Cheap, clean and within a 5 minute walk of the dlr. Yes the bed was a bit hard, yes the room was small but ultimately I'm using it as a base and not expecting luxury.
Ibis budget is really budget though, no kettle, no hairdryer and only one PowerPoint in the room but as long as you plan for it then it's workable.

I love PI because when you book a family room for 2 adults and 2 children, you get a double and two separate single beds.

When I've used Holiday Inn, their family room is two doubles. That does not work well for many families, especially ours!

Oh and PI breakfast is better, too!

I'm booked to stay in a PI next week and after reading these responses am ridiculously excited! Like a virgin, whoop....

When I've used Holiday Inn, their family room is two doubles. That does not work well for many families, especially ours!

That's why we stopped using HIE. However, the last PI we used also had 2 doubles. It did warn us beforehand though. We chucked sleeping bags in the car as its the duvet that they fight over. Lying on a double bed together is no closer than they would be camping. :)

We like Premier Inns, but the only thing that grates is the refurbished rooms - it used to be you booked a family room for 4 and there was room for a single along the wall next to the desk, another next to the window and a space between it and the double bed. We've been in a few now which have been refurbished and the beds are all in a line, with the kids having to climb over each other.

But I'd still book them by preference, because as others say you know what you're going to get, the showers are good, and the breakfast is great (and fills the kids up before you start driving again).