London Hotels Insight provides up-to-date, independent advice for your perfect stay in London. We research guest feedback, meet management and identify hotels at the top of their game.
Posts tagged as:
Premier Inn
I recently wrote about Premier Inn’s bid for domination in London but if recent news is anything to go by, it’s clear their main competitor Travelodge won’t be taking it lying down. Travelodge claims after all to be the UK’s fastest growing hotel brand and recently announced the opening of its 486th hotel in the City, a stone’s throw from [...]
{ 1 comment }
Natalie Thomas, Premier Inn’s Director of Bed Bouncing, is having her prime asset insured for a whopping £4 million apparently. Natalie, who comes from (you’ve guessed it) Bedfordshire, tests about 24 beds a day with her lump-detecting bottom, to ensure that Premier Inn live up to their ’Good Night Guarantee’ – if you’re not 100% [...]
{ 1 comment }
My review of the Tune Hotel on Westminster Bridge Road really opened my eyes to how a budget hotel chain works. It’s not as simple as it looks, because to create an economically-feasible operation you have to start right back at first principles – this is something Tune Hotels has done well, rethinking and reengineering all aspects [...]
{ 2 comments }
We’ve commented many times on the rivalry between Premier Inn and Travelodge for London domination. But it seems Premier Inn is really throwing down the gauntlet now, announcing plans for a major expansion drive in London. They’re looking to make a 50% growth in rooms in the next two years, and double their size in [...]
{ 1 comment }
I don’t think all that often about my bed. I only really become aware of what I’m sleeping on if it’s wrong – uncomfortable, bumpy, too hard or too soft. I recently slept in one that kept trying to roll itself around me like a tube. It was horrible – I kept waking up thinking [...]
{ 5 comments }
We’ve featured YOTEL before – a revolutionary hotel group focused on airport hotels, packing maximum luxury into minimal space. Based on our YOTEL video and recent guest reviews, this approach seems to be working. One of the things YOTEL has done differently is to re-examine the check-in process – and automate it. So I spoke [...]
{ 0 comments }
We’ve previously covered hotels near Stansted Airport and examined one of the best Heathrow airport hotels. Now it’s the turn of Gatwick – the UK’s second-busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic numbers. Although it lies some 28 miles south of central London, Gatwick is actually quite easy to reach from the centre of town [...]
{ 2 comments }
We recently mentioned the much-hyped London launch of Malaysia-based budget hotel chain Tune Hotels which has enjoyed a fair bit of publicity. Their first, slightly misleadingly-named “Westminster” hotel (it’s actually in Lambeth – the opposite side of the bridge!) is now up and running. The verdict of most professional reviewers has been that the company [...]
{ 7 comments }
We’ve already mentioned the close rivalry between budget chains Travelodge (which recently opened its 400th hotel in Waterloo) and Premier Inn. Both have embarked on headlong expansion ahead of London 2012, building cheap and occasionally ugly hotels to meet their goals. On the whole their vigorous competition is a good thing but it does often [...]
{ 2 comments }
This blog has commented previously on Travelodge’s plan to open lots of new hotels. This is being fuelled by the upcoming London Olympics in 2012 – by which time Travelodge aims to become London’s biggest hotel brand. We’ve also mentioned the company’s attractive promotions though been a bit less complimentary about their ugly buildings and [...]
{ 1 comment }
One of our pet obsessions is the budget hotel sector, as shown recently in our two-part Premier Inn versus Travelodge head to head showdown. Today we ask if Premier Inn – with some solid hotels including its County Hall hotel near the London Eye – genuinely offers a “cheap” product. Quick research using TripAdvisor and [...]
{ 5 comments }
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 [...]
{ 9 comments }
Recognising how expensive it can be to find decent accommodation in London, this blog often likes to focus on value for money. Whether it’s to help you identify London’s best B&B, cheap budget hotels, special £1 sales, the best-value rooms or “luxury budget” options further up the scale, we want to help you find real [...]
{ 4 comments }
As winter is now upon us, the thought of snuggling up in a cosy pub with a glass of red wine and the Sunday papers is increasingly appealing. There are few better places to do just that than Islington. Nestled between the hustle and bustle of Camden and the formality of the City, leafy Islington [...]
{ 0 comments }
We recently identified some mid-price and cheap hotels in London which provide free WiFi. But what about the very cheapest ones? Yes, Travelodge and Premier Inn, I’m talking to you! In the past this blog has praised these companies for raising standards at the bottom of the market. Travelodge has been regularly featured here thanks [...]
{ 2 comments }
An announcement from Travelodge – already featured on this blog for their aggressively-priced “sales” – recently caught my eye. They’re now planning to spend a further £84 million to buy up and convert hotels in London. The company is even offering you a finder’s fee to help them find suitable sites and has set up [...]
{ 4 comments }
