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Travelodge vs Premier Inn: who wins? (part 2)
Read on to see which brand has better guest reviews and lower prices
In our first article in this two-part feature we highlighted some key similarities between these fiercely-competitive budget hotel groups.
Today, we look at what guests say by analysing recent TripAdvisor reviews for their cheap London hotels and drawing out some stats.
The comparison is made easier by the fact that both companies currently have around the same number of hotels in London – though given their rapid expansion plans this could soon change drastically.
A top-level search of each chain’s hotels in London on TripAdvisor reveals some interesting data. The median Travelodge is ranked at number 542 (from 1077 hotels). This is OK given the low prices but not especially high.
The highest-rated Travelodge on TripAdvisor – Travelodge Southwark – is ranked at number 193. This hotel is well-rated for its large and modern rooms as well as its proximity to the attractions of the South Bank.
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Travelodge Southwark is currently the chain's top guest-rated London hotel
The median Premier Inn has a rank of 160. This means that the “average” Premier Inn is rated better by TripAdvisor reviewers than even the “best” Travelodge (though that’s before factoring in price differences – see below).
The best Premier Inn (Tower Hill) is ranked at number 39 – it’s modern and clean, with friendly staff that would put much pricier hotels to shame.
Indeed, Premier Inn Tower Hill is ranked higher than the Dorchester and Claridge’s (though I grant they’re competing in very different markets).
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Premier Inn Tower Hill gets rave reviews on TripAdvisor and is in the top 50 London hotels
In fact, Premier Inn overall has an impressive five of its hotels within the current TripAdvisor top 100 London hotels. This is definitely an achievement in view of its below-average room rates.
This blog’s favourite Premier Inn (County Hall) – one of London’s best cheap family hotels next to the London Eye – is ranked at number 55.
Check best rate for Premier Inn County Hall from 30+ hotel booking sites
Purely on these numbers then, Premier Inn is the clear “winner” if our analysis were based purely on guest reviews. This is in line with its focus on the overall stay and its core product of a “good night’s sleep”.
On the other hand, Travelodge wins hands-down on pricing. Despite the fact that Premier Inn often advertises similar rates to Travelodge, it seems these are in practice much harder to grab.
All the testing we did at London Hotels Insight found that Travelodge consistently delivers lower obtainable prices than its big rival.
Our research showed that Travelodge does consistently beat Premier Inn on pricing
This price gap between the two companies is actually bigger than I thought, given how Premier Inn likes to position itself as a low-price brand.
Average reported prices on TripAdvisor find Premier Inn to be significantly dearer (sometimes even double the Travelodge price and often north of £100 per night). At these rates, you can’t really call it a “budget hotel”.
Both chains have hotels all over London, so the choice seems very clear.
If you purely want the cheapest possible stay then go for Travelodge. Its TripAdvisor reviews are not bad when you allow for its very low prices, especially during its frequent discounted room sales.
Check the best rate for Travelodge in London from 30+ hotel booking sites
Having stayed myself in several Travelodges all over London I can personally report that they do a good job . If you’re looking for the cheapest possible “crash pad”, Travelodge certainly fits the bill.
However, if you want “economy plus” i.e. a cheap but more comfortable stay, then you should go for Premier Inn. Beware though that you may sometimes end up paying for a mid-range hotel rather than a cheap one.
In many of its hotels however, this pricing is justified. For example, Premier Inn Southwark is currently ranked at number 50 on TripAdvisor and gets rave reviews. It is a relatively new and modern hotel with consistently friendly service and good breakfasts served in the Anchor pub.
Check best rate for Premier Inn Southwark from 30+ hotel booking sites
The Premier Inn Southwark doesn't appear much to look at from the outside, but guests love its modernity, value and tasty "pub breakfasts"
Overall, since the TripAdvisor data theoretically takes account of both price and quality, it seems that Premier Inn is probably the winner.
But at the end of the day, you pay the money you want and take your pick!
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Photo credits: Travelodge, Premier Inn.
Previous post: Travelodge vs Premier Inn: who wins? (part 1)
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Totally agree re Travelodge being much cheaper than Prenier Inn. I’ve stayed in loads of £19 and even £9 Travelodge rooms and never once found a Premier Inn at anything like these prices.
Agreed – Travelodge are cheaper but, having stayed in plenty of both I have to say neither is an enjoyable experience. Sterile, uniform, cheap & nasty. I travel to London mainly so the £19 deals tend not to apply. I’ve started using crashpadder.com or staying in independent b&bs instead – they have personality at least!
Stephen – I’m not sure when you last stayed at Travelodge or Premier Inn, but in my personal experience both have improved significantly in recent years. Neither are luxurious but I definitely wouldn’t call them “cheap and nasty” by any stretch.
Also, the £19 deals definitely DO apply to London as well – I know because I’ve booked them (several times) and it seems that Karen (above) has too.
I agree that you’ve always got to check recent guest reviews before you book because the quality can vary a lot from hotel to hotel.
Sorry but Travelodge every time!! Cheap room. fantastic locations, outstanding value (especially in city centre locations). What more do you nead from a hotel where all you need is somewhere to base yourself and somewhere to sleep. Travelodge get a 10 out of 10 from me!
Premier Inn for me, last Travelodge experiance was awful, dirty bathroom, in fact the last occupants towel was hanging behind the door. Every Premier has been clean and the receptionist friendly and helpful. Price is not much different, but quality , Premier is far better. Maybe my proirities travelling as a single female may be different though
I vote for premier inn because comfy beds, clean rooms, great shower and i know travelodge has cheaper prices but i just like premier inn better so i vote for premier inn
I’ve stayed in a number of different Travelodges and found they vary from quite pleasant to quite unpleasant. A couple of months ago I stayed at a Premier Inn for the first time and was shocked by the difference. I can honestly it was a pleasurable experience at Premier Inn. Clean, comfortable, friendly staff and a decent breakfast served to your table. The one time I made the mistake of having breakfast at a Travelodge it a case of grabbing what you could before it was all gone and you had to wait another 20 minutes for them to bring some more out. The overcrowded dirty dinning area was a disgrace.
Premier Inn may not be as cheap but the quality is far superior.
I certainly agree with you squid that Premier Inn has significantly improved quality. In a more recent blog post we’ve argued that they should really be classified as “mid-level” hotels rather than a cheap hotels:
http://londonhotelsinsight.com/2010/02/11/are-premier-inn-hotels-%E2%80%9Ccheap%E2%80%9D-or-%E2%80%9Cmid-price%E2%80%9D/