Jan 17, 2008
From February 7 to February 24, rooms are had for GBP19 a night at Britain's Travelodge chain
For a quick look at a travel phenomenon, go quick to www.travelodge.co.uk, the website of the British Travelodge chain (not to be confused with Travelodges in the U.S.). In Britain, Travelodge is the equivalent of Motel 6, astonishingly cheap, in semi-industrial settings (sometimes) next to a gas station or a fast food shop, but in some few instances in perfectly proper areas in London. And for stays from February 7 to February 24, it's offering rooms throughout its system for £19 pounds (about $38) per room.The sale kicked off at 6am this morning, but I'm rather certain that all sale-priced rooms will have sold out by the time you read this post. But I mention the oddity simply so that you will keep Travelodge in mind for use on your own trip to Britain later in the year. My daughter, with her family (husband and two children, 8 and 4) stayed in two different bargain-priced Travelodge hotels during their visit to Scotland this past summer, and reported having a totally pleasant experience.
Travelodge in Britain was born in 1985, and only recently began coming to the attention of American travelers. It now operates 318 Travelodge hotels throughout that country and will be opening 40 more this year. Even when the £19-per-room sale isn't on, Travelodge hotels frequently offer rates of £29 ($58) per room for bookings made at least 21 days in advance (such reservations must not only be made and paid in advance but are non-cancellable and non-refundable).
I think you'll get a kick out of looking at various pages on the company's website. It shows that someone in Britain is fighting back against the extraordinary price structure that now prevails in that country -- a level of prices made worse by the current weak value of the U.S. dollar.
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Labels: accommodations, great britain, london
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