In the business of budget
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It’s the night of the Olivier awards just around the corner and as one glamorous attendee starts making her way out, streams of business men and tourists line the bar waiting for a drink at the end of a busy day or to ease off the fact it’s Monday the next day.
If we were staying in a five-star hotel you probably would not think this was out of the ordinary, but we are staying at the other end of the spectrum, a Travelodge. Although having said that, the brand’s hotels are going through a revamp currently and it will help to keep its popularity above other budget chains and properties that have come on the market.
The lobby at Travelodge Covent Garden is certainly not one we are used to seeing in a budget hotel. This large open space is modern and comfortable, with plenty of different areas and tables to sit at and a free-flowing style of environment you may expect to find in the luxury sector, but still with the air of convenience and no-fuss.
Comfort and modern also apply to Travelodge’s new room design, which is currently being rolled out across the country as part of a GBP223 million investment.
We’d checked into the Travelodge Waterloo the night before to feel the impact of ‘before’ and ‘after’ and have to say on entry, it seems like little has changed. Room layouts remain the same; there is a desk, chairs, bed, en-suite bathroom and television. It’s clean and simple.
The difference, as always, is in the detail. Quite rightly adopting the opinion that everyone needs a good sleep, the new Travelodge Sleepeezee ‘Dreamer Bed’ really is softer and bouncier than the ones in Waterloo (we resisted trampolining to test) and the pillows were so big I threw one off and made do with one.
The touches of red throughout the room add some character and actually more of a British feel coupled with the blue and grey. It’s odd isn’t it, how just adding red brick tiles to a wall makes the difference to an otherwise white bathroom?
With so many hotels now across the country Travelodge is already one of the go-to brand for budget travel, but its fresh look will move it more into the eyes of business travellers. This move is well-timed to fit in with more price conscious corporate travel and now can offer a modern, comfortable sleep without the large price tag. And after a night out or a long day in the office, I always want as much sleep as I can get.
Travelodge is offering rooms from £21 for the summer and has more than 500 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain.
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