To think this is not a budget hotel?

[OhamIreally]

Have just booked a night in an Essex seaside hotel. It was just under £100.
Was googling for reviews and saw it described as a budget hotel.
Now I get that in London, Paris or New York that would be considered budget- but in Clacton?
What do we think?

Doesn't sound outrageously expensive, but certainly not budget. Maybe from the pov of a Londoner - who is used to London rents/mortgage costs - and for whom Clacton might be a nice weekend break destination; but in and of itself, definitely not budget.

Will the facilities be budget though?

I personally see budget hotels as costing under £50 a night and I live in London. I also travel a lot and rarely spend £100 a night on somewhere unless it’s a one night thing for a special occasion. So I would agree with you.

Wow no it's not budget, particularly for Clacton.

That's definitely not budget! I have got central London for that price!

I wouldn’t call that ‘budget’ but I guess it’s subjective. If you usually pay Ritz prices and think four figures is about average I guess a £100 hotel could seem a bargain.

But is it nice or is it more in line with a Travelodge interior?

With covid and more people staying in the UK getting budget quality at steak prices is probably going to be the norm for a year or two

Prices vary, maybe they paid £50?

I’d use the phrase “budget hotel” to describe somewhere with limited facilities and/or dated decor regardless of how much it cost per night.

Yes @BubblyBarbara I think there's something in that! I looked at a lot of seaside places within a couple of hours' drive from London and there was hardly any availability.
Hopefully these businesses can survive if they have a good surge in bookings now.

Have you been to Clacton before @ohamireally? Just thinking if there maybe a better seaside to visit. Speaking as someone who lives up the road!

Yes, I would probably aim for the next '-on-sea' up the road, but I haven't been to Clacton in a few years.

@OhamIreally as another person who lives in a surrounding village... I can’t think of a hotel in Clacton I would pay £100 a night for! As @anotherwinkywinkybumbum says there are nicer places to visit locally!

Clacton is not a very nice place anymore unfortunately. Frinton is much nicer. That does sound quite expensive especially if it is out of school holidays

That's not budget for Clacton. We stayed in the premier inn in Clacton this summer and it was £40 per night ( and the room had a sea view)

We didn't actually go out in Clacton as we were only staying there to visit friends in Walton but when we got back to the hotel at night we noticed it wasn't a nice place to be in the evening - lots of noisy drunk people hanging around.

I always think 2/3 star as budget hotel. Travel lodge Ibis basic style no frills.

They aren't generally 100 pounds a night though.

I would have said budget refers to the facilities available (or lack of) rather than the price.
I live in another popular seaside town and we are so busy just now, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the local hotels have increased their prices to try and compensate for missing the start of the season

I always think of the Travelodge as a budget hotel, and Premier Inn as budget, but nicer iyswim.

Oh no! Everyone saying it's not nice. I did try a few places but very little availability.
Anyway we shall go and make the best of it
Thanks all.

I have just done a quick search on Expedia and the majority of hotels are under £100 a night, so no it is not budget for the area.

We stayed in the premier inn in Clacton this summer and it was £40 per night ( and the room had a sea view)
See, now I would think, based on that price, that was a budget hotel. However, I stayed in Fort William in the Premier Inn in August 2017 and it was £124 per night.

I'm unsure what actually constitutes a budget hotel anymore as Premier Inn can be dirt cheap or reasonably expensive for the same room and facilities.

@OhamIreally

Oh no! Everyone saying it's not nice. I did try a few places but very little availability. Anyway we shall go and make the best of it Thanks all.

It's probably the lack of availability pushing the price up.

You won't have to go car to find nicer places to visit while you are staying in Clacton. Frinton-On-Sea is nice. Hipkins beach at Walton is one of my favourite beaches. There is a great seal watching trip you can do from the Marina in Walton too. Mersea island isn't that far away either.

You'll be fine. There are loads of nice places to visit. Premier inns are always reliably nice.