Travel Lodge, Plymouth

I’ve spent the last couple of years not going away anywhere, and then all of a sudden in the last six months have managed two weekends away with the girls and one with the family. On each of these occasions I’ve stayed in a Travelodge. Once in Plymouth, Hellingly, nr Brighton, and also Dorking in Surrey.

Each stay within a Travelodge has been comfortable, and I can honestly say I haven’t experienced any problems from start to finish.
...when attempting to book a room. This consists of a fairly simple process, whereby you enter the lodge you wish to book, or the area if you aren’t too sure of the exact location.
Once you have chosen your particular lodge from the list, the site will provide you with all the details, such as address, phone numbers, price etc. They also provide you with directions from major motorways etc with a tiny map.
Local attractions are very often ... more

I’ve spent the last couple of years not going away anywhere, and then all of a sudden in the last six months have managed two weekends away with the girls and one with the family. On each of these occasions I’ve stayed in a Travelodge. Once in Plymouth, Hellingly, nr Brighton, and also Dorking in Surrey.

Each stay within a Travelodge has been comfortable, and I can honestly say I haven’t experienced any problems from start to finish.

I’ve always used the online booking system when attempting to book a room. This consists of a fairly simple process, whereby you enter the lodge you wish to book, or the area if you aren’t too sure of the exact location.
Once you have chosen your particular lodge from the list, the site will provide you with all the details, such as address, phone numbers, price etc. They also provide you with directions from major motorways etc with a tiny map.
Local attractions are very often found near the directions which is handy if you are picking a place to stay at random and don’t know what to do, but personally I think the place to go and things to do are usually planned before the accommodation.

Once you have chosen to book your particular lodge, you then have the option of choosing the dates you wish to stay and the type of room you want.

Room types:

Double (sleeps 2 adults. Consisting of a double bed)

Single (sleeps two adults and one child under 16. consists of 1 single bed, one sofa with a pullout bed)

Family (sleeps up to two adults and two children under the age of 16. Consists of one double bed, one sofa plus pull out bed)

Twin (would imagine sleeps the same as a family room, but in form of two single beds instead of a double)

Triple

These are all available as smoking or non smoking rooms, but I must stress to you if you accidentally book a non smoking room and then later change your mind, the Travelodge may not be able to accommodate you. If this happens the staff on reception stress to you that you cannot smoke in non smoking rooms as they have special detectors in them that set off the alarms.
(I personally didn’t try this to see if they were feeding me a load of flannel, but I wasn’t going to be the one to try it and end up very embarrassed).

Once you have confirmed all your bookings, you are then prompted to enter your card details. These are only entered as a guarantee for your booking. No payment is taken until you actually check in to your lodge. This detail confused me the first time I booked online, as I wasn’t told, even in the confirmation email I was sent, so I spent days wondering why my card hadn’t been debited.
They don’t accept a wide range of credit cards, but the trusted MasterCard and Visa are both there.

Should you need to amend your booking or cancel, there are two ways of doing this, via the website and over the phone. I have personally used both methods and haven’t received a problem either way. I prefer the website as I then have a confirmation email with a cancellation number on it should I get a problem on the day of arrival.

Travelodge do state that if you don’t cancel by 4pm on the day of check in then they will debit your card for one night’s booking per room booked.

So you’ve booked your room, what happens when you arrive?

Check in time isn’t usually before 3pm. Out of all three lodges I have stayed in I was met by friendly receptionists, who proceeded to book me in very quickly. Everyone is asked to fill in a form, stating name, address etc, for fire regulations. Also in many Travelodges if you enter your car registration, you are entitled to free parking in the lodge car park.
Not all lodges have free car parks however. The one I stayed in in Plymouth only provided council car parking, which cost about nine GBP for my whole stay. This is a point to bear in mind, especially if you get a good room rate.

Breakfast is available to book on check in. I have never personally ordered this but I believe it to be a continental breakfast at approx £4.00. Personally I prefer to go to the Little Chef across the car park assuming there is one attached, and order a nice cooked breakfast.

Once checked in your are provided with a key or key card, depending on the size, location of your lodge. The only lodge I had a key card with was Plymouth again, but it had four floors, as opposed to Dorking, which only had two, so it really depends on where you stay.

What are the rooms like?

Every Travelodge room I have been in has been almost identical in the layout. I have always booked family rooms, as the price doesn’t vary on the type of room you have, which is also another factor to think about, especially if there are a bunch of girls going. Instead of booking four singles for example, you can get away with two family rooms and save money.

The rooms consist of a double bed, a sofa that converts into a bed with a pullout underneath (in the case of the family room).
There is open wardrobe space with shelves, providing you with extra bed linen and towels.
A bench type desk cum dressing table usually covers one entire wall, providing you with a television, coffee making facilities and a lovely handbook with information about Travelodges.
There is also an ensuite bathroom attached.

I have never found anything unsightly in the various lodges I have stayed in, although I have to admit on my first stay I made the mistake of watching Hotels from Hell in the evening and then proceeded to find a bug on the dressing table. This put me off slightly but hardly the Travelodges’ fault.
All my bedding, sheets, sofas etc have always been clean and fresh. The bathrooms have been to a satisfactory standard, and sometimes I have been provided with a small bottle of shower gel.

How much does it cost?

Lodge prices can vary depending on the location, size, time of year etc. Many offer winter specials at thirty GBP per night. The most expensive lodge I have stayed in was in Surrey, and that was 60 GBP per night.
If you expect to pay 45GBP per night then you can’t go far wrong, and considering that is the price per room, not per person, you can end up with a very cheap stay.

Do Travelodge offer anything else?

I have never personally stayed in a lodge that provides a bar and restaurant facilities, but some of the larger ones do. It will be noted on the website should they offer this. However all lodges are usually attached to a petrol station, Little Chef and possibly a Burger King and Harry Ramsdens restaurant.

Should you forget those essentials when booking in, there is a small selection of drinks, ice creams, toiletries etc in reception available for sale, but if you’re smart then pop across to the garage should there be one on site and buy it a bit cheaper.

Pros:

-Cheap night sleep
- Clean and tidy
- Friendly service
- Disabled access
- Confirmation email upon booking
- Ironing boards, trouser press etc are usually available from reception should you need them

Cons:

- Travelodges aren’t always in town centres so beware. The Hellingly one was nine miles from Eastbourne, and I didn’t realise when booking so taxi fares cost a bit that weekend, even though the room rate was good.
- Rooms are basic, but you do get what you pay for.
- TV usually only consists of five channels plus one radio station. Not much to watch if you can’t sleep.
- No phone lines (well not in any I've stayed in)

Would I stay in a Travelodge again?

Definitely. I have been very lucky and never had a bad experience so will certainly use them again.
The beds are excellent for curing hangovers if you like soft mattresses. I always sink into mine and wake up feeling a bit too refreshed.

Useless information:

Forte opened the first Travelodge in 1985. They then sold them to Permira Investment Managers in 2003.
There are over 200 lodges in Uk and Ireland.

All I want to know now is when is the next weekend away, and where can I go next?

 

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