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Save Money on UK Accommodation Costs

Here are some simple ways of saving money on accommodation in Britain.

Best advice I was ever given by a Brit friend – I had mentioned that we were off to the UK for a trip
– was to use the Travelodge chain of hotels. They are unpretentious, straight forward accom. No
frills, but always clean and comfortable. And they are often easily found at motorway service
areas. They have about 500 locations which is one of the reasons they are a regular go-to for me
because there’s almost always one near where I want to kip for the night.

You can occasionally pick up a room as low as £29 a night. On my last trip I was paying around
£49 to £69 a night.

Let’s get something clear – they are not paying me to say this, in fact I don’t even get a better rate
than you would pay.

When you look at some of the alternatives Travelodge is good value.

Mind you, so are Premier Inns, which I have used frequently when a Travelodge isn’t near where I
want to stop for the night. They are regularly rated among the best hotel chains in the country.

I’m a great fan of Trivago which has deals on many hotels. It’s one of those aggregator sites that
skims all the hotel booking sites and gives you the options. Yes, they prioritise the properties they
are getting the biggest commissions from. So just skim down until you find something that takes
your fancy.

Here are several other well-regarded chains:

Ibis Hotels and especially Ibis Budget make no pretensions to elegance but they score well on
customer satisfaction and they are certainly the economy option.

Hampton By Hilton averages around £80-90 a night but they are a top-rated chain.

Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express (the budget version) are a little dearer, averaging £88 for the
Inns and around £75 for the Express properties.

If you want something really special – but cheap it ain’t – have a look at the accommodation
options offered by English Heritage. You can stay in castles and forts, abbeys and great
houses. Go on, treat yourself. More . . .

J.D.Weatherspoon a chain of modest priced, more traditional style hotels.