Nov 5, 2007
In America, it's Motel 6. In Britain, it's Travelodge (not to be confused with the US's Travelodge). Britain's version is the cheapest in all the land
One British pound now costs more than two American dollars, so for Yanks on vacation in the U.K., even hotels that were once passably affordable are now excruciatingly expensive. Even family-run bed and breakfasts, which were once the most reliable low-cost standby for cheap travel to Great Britain, can cost upwards of $175 a night under the current exchange.
The solution? One of them is to base yourself, in Britain, at a Travelodge (which has no connection with our own Travelodge chain) -- they are now the cheapest standard accommodation in the U.K. The company's policy is to keep its room prices low as long as its properties aren't full. So if you book online far in advance, or if you make reservations at one of its business-oriented properties on a quiet weekend, you can find some of the lowest prices in town.
With a healthy advance purchase, room rates at Travelodge properties across the country cost as little as £26 a night. (Typical last-minute rates shoot up to around £80 in London, which is a market rate.) A friend was recently in a bind for Sunday night accommodation in London, and by turning to a Travelodge that is quiet on the weekends, he was able to secure a perfectly comfortable business-class motel-style room in the center of the City, by Liverpool Street train station, for just £50 ($100) a night. Meanwhile, rival hotels in the same district were charging three times that.
If you're planning a U.K. vacation anytime next year, book now at a Travelodge while the pickings are lush and the advance-purchase deals are available, and you're likely to pay prices as low as £26 -- or $52--a night. What you'll miss in style and coziness, you'll gain in savings. Just go to www.travelodge.co.uk.
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The solution? One of them is to base yourself, in Britain, at a Travelodge (which has no connection with our own Travelodge chain) -- they are now the cheapest standard accommodation in the U.K. The company's policy is to keep its room prices low as long as its properties aren't full. So if you book online far in advance, or if you make reservations at one of its business-oriented properties on a quiet weekend, you can find some of the lowest prices in town.
With a healthy advance purchase, room rates at Travelodge properties across the country cost as little as £26 a night. (Typical last-minute rates shoot up to around £80 in London, which is a market rate.) A friend was recently in a bind for Sunday night accommodation in London, and by turning to a Travelodge that is quiet on the weekends, he was able to secure a perfectly comfortable business-class motel-style room in the center of the City, by Liverpool Street train station, for just £50 ($100) a night. Meanwhile, rival hotels in the same district were charging three times that.
If you're planning a U.K. vacation anytime next year, book now at a Travelodge while the pickings are lush and the advance-purchase deals are available, and you're likely to pay prices as low as £26 -- or $52--a night. What you'll miss in style and coziness, you'll gain in savings. Just go to www.travelodge.co.uk.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: accommodations, england
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
