I honestly couldn't care less about a bit of dust in the room. I think the most important part of a room is a good bed and a hot shower with good water pressure.

I remember 'treating' Alicja to the Dundee Strathmore. When we went to the room, it took a moment to realise, but someone's stuff was already in there. They'd checked us into another guest's room (I have no idea how that's even possible!) When we went back down to tell them, they just shrugged it off like it happens every day :D We did feel a bit sorry for the staff member though who was doing check-ins and also serving at the bar! Like you said, it's a noisy hotel, often a problem when they are converted and not 'built for purpose' hotels. Great overview of the different Travelodges mate!

Personally, I love a Travelodge. I've stayed in loads of them up and down the country on my travels and despite having used probably 30-40 of them, some of those a good number of times, I can count on one hand the number of genuinely bad experiences I've had with them. Staff are always friendly, beds are comfortable, they've got everything you really need and they serve a purpose.

I think I speak for all of us: More bird imitations please!

I don't get the hate for Travelodge. It's fine if you're on a budget and just need basic accommodation.

Hi Scott, great subject as always. Once or twice Travelodge have been a lifesaver when flights have been cancelled and BA had no hotels available to offer. Basically ‘find a hotel and charge us.’ Travelodge always seem to some availability, which is great. I often benefit from discount codes offered by them throughout the year. Discounts on a budget hotel is just great. They seem to be in places that you want or need to be. I’ve often asked for a different room if I discover it’s too noisy, or above aircon or next to a busy road and they’ve changed, it, no problem. On the noise front, I always bring ear plugs, simple. Your 3 hotel insights are valid and useful. I met you once in Edinburgh Waverley whilst you were doing your first class experiences in Scotland. Keep doing what you do Scott, real and pleasantly honest. The range of stuff is impressive by the way……I was in Nimes the week before you and it was just as you described!

Omg Dundee travelodge! That used to be a council care home on 4 floors. I worked night-shift there for 10 yrs next door was the fire station and no longer there! I live in Glasgow now but going to have a peek in next time im in dundee! Great info and video thanks cathy

The average time a housekeeper has to turn over a room like that is 25 to 30 minutes, bed change, dust, sanitize, bathroom and vacuum /re-stock …it’s really not long enough but very common practice /standard in these kinds of hotels. 😢

Drinking game: Take a drink every time Scott says "Travelodge". You'll be plastered in just a few minutes :)

I used to work at Travelodge Glasgow Airport in 2006-2007. From what ive seen the rooms has been repainted and new carpets were fitted. Furniture is exactly same as 20years ago. Only chairs and bed bases were replaced. Bathrooms looks exactly the same. The oval hole over toilet used to be tissue dispenser. Public area on the ground floor has been refurbished. The whole dining area has new layout. Bar looks exactly the same as before. This travelodge used to be under the management of Ramada from across the carpark that is now Courtyard.

I've stayed a few Travelodges throughout my travels and I've never had a bad night, cheap, cheerful and good customer service. Heathrow is probably the worst I've stayed in but that was mostly because of noisy neighbours than anything else, and the one by Liverpool airport probably my best stay.

Have stayed at Manchester Picadilly, York, and Gloucester. All for 3 nights. No problems. Staff great.

As a user of so called budget hotels I think that the problem with Travelodge vs Premier Inn is just a lack of refurbishment / modernising. Cleanliness can be hit and miss with all hotels and relys on the staff availability and dedication. The main problem with all these types of hotels is that they are no longer budget. Sometimes charging getting on for 200 quid at times is out of my budget.

I am from Dundee and stayed at strathmore avenue for the first time a few months ago. I had an enjoyable stay. Great value for money and friendly staff. I am always happy when I enjoy a hotel stay in my home town and did here. I think the issue with the window must have an isolated incident. I always enjoy your videos

I stayed at the Barking and Liverpool Travelodges. I loved both of them.

Hi Scott, I've stayed in many Travelodges up and down the country and I don't really think they're that bad. My only complaints if there you can consider it as complaints is there's no fridge where you can keep milk chilled if you buy a pint if you're staying for more than a few days. The other is the lack of electrical sockets either usb or just main sockets. I find the beds very comfortable and the shower is very powerful, in fact more powerful the shower I have in my flat. Travelodge represent good value for money.

I generally stay in the Premier Inn as I haven’t had any bad experience with them. I’ve stayed in a few Travelodge’s and they have been up and down. The one in Exeter looks like it hadn’t been refurbished since the 80’s but others they haven’t been too bad.

Stayed at the Norwich Central Travelodge about this time last year for a friends Stag-do. If memory serves, it was most similar to the Glasgow Airport location you feature here in terms of feeling a wee bit outdated. But honestly, it was absolutely fine as a place to stay for one night. Clean enough, breakfast was perfectly acceptable, and it worked out very cheap with a number of us sharing.

I love your pigeon and seagull impressions :)

Good reporting. Thanks.

Very informative. Thank you.

Really interesting video Scott, we always use them as we have our dogs with us. We've seen the newly refurbished ones and the ones that clearly need one. At the end of the day they do the job, the one near Leeds Station always sticks in our memory as it was really hot and the duty manager brought in a water bowl for the reception area for our dog. Overall we like them!

A great video Scott, and a good insight to the different Travelodges you stayed in. Pricewise, i thought they were very good, and the rooms didn't look too bad.

Thank You.

Excellent video great tips....

Great video Scott.

More bird impressions please!

I stayed in Travelodge's in places like Fiji as a kid so the brand is sealed in my mind as a fun place to stay. I stayed in Travelodge Rockhampton, Queensland Australia, a few years ago for a conference and the only complaint I had was they did not give ne a river view room, otherwise it would have been perfect. I especially loved how they had a resident cat who would join us for breakfast.

Scott loves doing bird sounds lol 😂

Excellent reviewing process Scott ! Travelodge always appeared to be a franchise set up - they vary greatly around the UK and there didn't seem to be a "corporate image" philosophy at their core. Don't trust on line reviews though - remember reading a review of the place I was in - loads of complaints about service - while the owner was cooking my meal herself as the chef was ill and the manager was putting extra blankets and a heater in my room as they "noticed it was going a bit chilly this evening" !

Thanks for the best price finder tip for the Travelodge.

I like the view from your room in the Dundee travelodge 18:33 . It is peaceful. 🌲🌳🌳🌳🌳🍃 Pity the room was cold.

Hi that was an excellent video and i really enjoyed you visiting 3 different Travelodge's. .

It's been a long time since I managed to get a stay in a Travelodge for under thirty quid! Generally, I don't mind them although we have stayed in some dreadful ones in the past (Chester Central springs immediately to mind) so we tend to favour Premier Inn for a budget stay, although some of their establishments are far from perfect. Another great video Scott, cheers.

Like many have mentioned they are very much a mixed bunch in my experience ranging from terrible to excellent, I find city centre ones at weekends unbearable in the main due to the clientele they attract, constant noise, door banging etc, just don’t bother with those ones unless you have absolutely no other options, ones away from the centre more catering for motorways etc are generally very good

if its room 48 the hole was me i kicked the wall in fury when i leant against the radiator. literally hopping mad. keep up the good work pete

Funnily enough I stayed for the first time in around 12/13 years in a Travelodge quite recently in mid-October 2023, for 1 night. In recent years I have generally used Premier Inn or Holiday Inn Express, or a couple of times an Ibis. Our visit last October was to Aberdeen and we chose Travelodge over Premier Inn, as a sort of experiment, because it is in easy walking distance of the railway station (I was arriving by train) & the nearest Premier Inn is a good bit further away on foot. It was a midweek visit & the room was £59.99 & we both had the £9.50 per head breakfast so the total cost was £78.99, not the cheapest but it served our needs well enough. The room seemed pretty clean & modern to us & our room looked out over Union Terrace Gardens, so quite a nice view. Heating in the room was OK, although we had to adjust the radiator a few times. Everything worked in the room & bathroom, the one major irritation was that whilst the soap dispenser above the bath/shower was filled, the one at the sink had obviously not been checked & refilled. I can’t remember about USB sockets, but I think they were present at the bedside (both sides) but not on the desk beside the TV & desk chair, but I always carry a USB adapter with two outlets to plug into a regular 3-pin socket, as does my partner, so this wasn’t an issue for us. We relied on our own data so didn’t bother paying for hotel wi-if. I found the breakfast buffet perfectly acceptable, with a good selection of items, both the usual cooked items, some fruits, yoghurts, cereals etc, different bread items and one of those continuous toaster machines. Teas/coffee/hot chocolate etc from the machine dispenser. I still prefer Premier Inn or Holiday Inn Express, but as I shall probably be travelling to Aberdeen by train again every so often I would probably use the Travelodge there quite happily, but if arriving by car I’d probably use a Premier Inn on the outskirts, which I’ve used several times before.

As a woman who travels alone I like the bar lock on the door. Stayed at a hotel 2 weeks ago that had the bar lock. I think your assessment of the Travelodge was fair.

Love it Love the UV Footage in the last part

Loved this vid, always go past the Strathmore Avenue one and I always wondered who on earth used it!

great video!

Great video as ever Scott, I stay in Travelodge a lot but have gone downhill , never any soap in the soap or bath dispensers, minimal cleaning , but also finding these at day's Inn too.

I agree with Sean...enjoyed your travels between lodges..🤩

Scott- when you push buttons you really do not have to hit it many times. Once it lights up your good.

Stayed a couple of times at one in High Wycombe when watching football at Wembley..had a great deal there with breakfast thrown in as part of the stay .. busy but clean and tidy..

Kettle check makes me smile . You get a clean kettle only in soft water areas. One boil on a new kettle in a hard water area , white with limescale !

Hi Scott, Just wondered when you are staying at these hotels do you ever check for bed bugs as I know there has been a problem with them recently in some hotels. Has it ever been a problem for you.

In terms of the common hotels I've stayed in for me it's (from Better to OK) Premier Inn -> Holiday Inn --> Travelodge and I am including my views of the breakfast in that too. If you could could you do a similar review of Premier Inn's or Holiday Inns or another hotel chain? Keep up the good work Scott!

Really enjoyed this longer format video, allowing adequate time for us to form our own views. Ive stayed at lots of Travelodge, including Glasgow city centre, and theyve all been warm with good food, although some dont have food. Clean too. Have you thought of doing Premier Inns? Often cheaper than Travelodge, and in quieter locations, like Aberdeen for example.

Is it just me that loves the 90% Scottish 10% Australian accent ;-). Great channel, really enjoy the content. Thank you for it!

Very interesting, thanks for the review... I wonder how Premier Inns compare?

Pretty good video Scott, we've just filmed a Premier Inn vs Travelodge video down here in Dorset.

hi scott great reviews on the travelodges in fort william dundee and glasgow airport although owned/run by travelodge i always think it is the actual manager who is in charge that reflects the running of their hotel.each manager is different and has different ideas have a great week scott

I stayed at the travel lodge last year in Berwick. Lovely

The problem with Travelodge I find is the inconsistency. Sometimes you pay £30 for a pristine, recently refurbished room in a great location and a great full-English breakfast, or you can pay £150 for a room in an industrial estate that stinks of wet dog and hasn’t seen a lick of paint for 30 years or a deep clean in 5 years, and breakfast is a box of cornflakes and warm milk you collect from reception. It can either be outstanding value for money, or significantly worse than a Premier Inn by every metric. And you’re spinning the roulette wheel everytime.

Heading to the newish Travel Lodge Ashbourne on Sunday so fingers crossed 🤞

I've never really had an issue with Travelodge. My fave hotel of theirs is the one at Rugby where you can get a good view of trains passing the station. They are often accomodating if you ask for a room on the top floor with a view of the train station.

We stay at a Travelodge at Kilmarnock when visiting family in the area. Good points, clean, handy location, friendly staff and we can take our dog with us, but it can be a bit noisy at times as it’s right next to a Macdonald’s which makes the car park busy. 7/10 overall.

You can tell if a TL has been received refurbished by the walls being a darker blue, USB sockets next to the bed, blackout curtains, plus a nice chair rather than the old plastic one. Oh and the picture above the bed is nicer

Very good reviews of the three TL properties from an informed veteran. As someone who was also in the trade, I believe the UV light is grossly unfair, both to staff and proprietors.

I've stayed in several Travelodge's across the UK and out of I don't know 25/30 stays, I've only ever had 2 bad experiences. 1 of them the very same Strathmore Avenue hotel in Dundee and the other was at Perth's Broxden services. Apart from those 2 experiences I rarely ever have anything to complain about, even if you are relatively picky it can be hard to fault the value for money the hotel chain offers. Really enjoyed this comparison between 3 different places. Great video as always sir!

Premiumer inns are where I have stayed always been nipping clean

The one at Aberdeen Dyce (they call it Aberdeen Airport but nowhere near!), is next to the River Dee and next door to an Indian restaurant, nothing else near it. The entrance if you haven’t been there before looks like you’re going into a forgotten car park, with giant potholes that have been there for over 8 years now and overgrown vegetation all around the car park. It’s a complete neglected mess. However basic but comfortable, and the staff always been really nice and welcoming, it is also very very cheap, even when you factor in cost of a taxi to get to the airport it’s very cheap. Just needs a massive tidy up at the entrance and car park.

Ive stayed in Sheffield Blackpool and Halifax Travelodges, as a lone female I found them all ok, felt safe with staff around 24/7 👍

Interesting video Scott. What was the make of UV pen you used.? Thank you. 👍

Nice one scott be over in scotland next june, perfect timing

loved the pizza and beer at the Black Isle Bar when my wife and I were there in 2022

Best piece of advice from someone who has had to work away a lot and use Travelodges... never use the hotels in city centers (hen and stag party central)... in Newcastle I have literally walked in... gone to my allocated room, turned around, got back in my car and driven for 2 hours to get home. There were some absolutely shocking places in the North East... Glad to hear they can sometimes be a viable option.

You make a great dust sleuth, Scott!

They still represent good value for money, please keep up th excellent work.

Stayed in Chester le Street Travelodge recently. Clean, all kit working, staff good. At the price it can't be beaten.

Great review! You should do something similar with Premier Inn, I always try and stay there where I can, you know what you're getting.

Interesting comments! Last week I stayed 3 nights in Travelodge, Academy Street, Inverness. I had a spacious family room to myself, the king size bed was very comfortable, although the pillows were too firm for me, but I could have changed them. Overall it looked very similar to the ones you visited. The bathroom had a shower over a bath! Plenty hot water, nice towels. The weather was grim, so I was glad to have an evening meal in the hotel, 2 courses for £14. The food was good, and the menu similar to a Wetherspoons - curries, pizza, burgers etc. choice of desserts. The plentiful breakfast choices were as you showed. The small bar was next to reception. The staff were extremely polite and helpful. I would stay there again. PS forgot to mention, extremely central location, handy for buses and trains, and not noisy at night (but my room was at the back) PPS On my second visit I paid the extra £10 for a late check out. I was able to leave my luggage there instead of paying £5 at the railway station locker, and I took some M & S food back to my room, for a relaxing lunch in comfort watching TV instead of a hard seat at the station! I felt it was worth it...

Timetable challenge for you as I know how you love a very early start. If you get the 05:20 train from Glasgow to Oban (how many passengers at that time I wonder?) you should (after the start of the summer ferry timetable in late March) be able to do a day trip to Iona. The winter timetable has a lunch break for the crew on the Iona ferry which means you'd have enough time to step off the boat and back on again, and a visit to Iona means a walk to the Abbey is the minimum I think. Lots of potential for things to go wrong with the connections to add the usual feelings of jepardy which I know you like Possible chance to tick off some of the playing cards on the way?

I have stayed at 70 Travelodges for both business and leisure. I have never had a problem, the worst experience at Travelodge was Worthing Seafront in Jan/Feb when I thought I would get a sea front room only to find they were all being refurbished for the next season. The rest of the building was fine just no sea view. The quirkiest was The Regent Hotel Leamington Spa which is not a standard Travelodge, however Queen Victoria had stayed there in the past. I would guess the present Royals don’t generally stay at Travelodge.

Love a Travel lodge!! Cheap and warm

Nice video

28:33 a nice healthy “dinner” 😂

My Travelodge in Manchester Central was really stuck in the past as the bathroom still had a late 90s/early 00s 3ft fluorescent strip light

Many many years ago Travelodge was my go to place when home from my overseas job in Canada. They did a remarkable £9/£19/and £29 rooms. Used to stay 5 nights in Tunbridge Wells for £45. Always a little rough around the edges but too good to pass up. Clean rooms, good buffet breakfast, and friendly staff. Noticed there rates are significantly more down South now.

Like any Hotel, especially with the groups, the general time period for cleaning each room is around 20 minutes, maybe 25 minutes. That's to clear out all the used linen and detritus left by the previous occupant(s) and then clean and prepare the room in readiness for the next guest. In my Hotel career, The state that some guests left rooms in was appalling, to the extent one wondered just how badly soiled their homes were. Some rooms had to take over an hour to clean, and that in turn puts back the cleaning schedule for other rooms. Scott, may I point out one aspect about when you start your cleaning checks of the room? You are starting too late! That is, most Hotel Inspections, or In-Company / In House personnel will commence a room cleanliness check immediately on entering the room! You on the other hand, have arrived from outside, taken your jacket off, unpacked, settled into the room and have your Cuppa. But in those movements into and around the room, plus unpacking etc, you have shed elements of dust, particles and so on from outside, from your own belongings, clothes on you as well as shoes. Even checking the window to check it opens, moving the curtains, opening or closing both the bedroom and bathroom doors or any other movements around the room, can create tiny dust particles to move and settle on surfaces. Accumulation of dust is sloppy Housekeeping but the tiniest traces you found in otherwise clean rooms is frankly, nit-picking! No hotel is 100% dust free!

I love Travelodge. I must have stayed in them hundreds of times over the last few years, including 2 of the 3 featured! Some were a bit grubby, but none were bad. The beds are always clean and comfortable. And they train their staff brilliantly. Even in central London, they're consistently super friendly. Another huge plus is the checkout time. It's noon or 2pm if you pay a tenner for late checkout. A lot of places boot you out at 10. If I had to pick a fault, it would definitely be noise. If they're available, I always pay the extra few quid for a SuperRoom. They're really nice and I've never stayed in a bad one. They also have AC so well worth it in the height of summer. Thanks for another great vid!

I stay at the airport travelodge a fair bit, I prefer to get early morning flights on outbound as I can then make the most of the first day at my destination, so staying at the travelodge is handier and most of the time cheaper than a early morning long distance taxi. The hotel itself is generally quiet compared to inner city travelodges, still fairly thin walls etc, but generally easy to get a good nights sleep. Staff are always friendly and helpful. Food is generally ok, but not worth the price charged. They do offer an airport shuttle service, which I most of the time decline as it’s a short walk across the airport car park from the hotel

We always use Travelodge when on family trips and have always found them to be generally very good. My only gripe in most that we’ve visited is there not being any power sockets by the bed 🛌. I have sleep apnoea and use a cpap machine at night, so I now always ensure I have a short extension lead with me, Lol 😂. Great video as always. 😀👍

I've stayed in a few different ones (Bradford, New Brighton, Tamworth etc) I always find the staff to be excellent and I've always had a nice stay. I'm a fan of the breakfast box that you can get as an extra in the one's that don't have a dining room/buffet 😃

hey scott, that empty space in the glascow room was for a box of tissue. Like steven said good reviews.

Driving back from our son's after Christmas we were scuppered by the A9 closure due to snow. Managed to get a room at the Strathmore Avenue hotel for £24.99! Room was awful; weird shape and very tired. Terrible lighting. But it did the job. I imagine the building used to be an office block.

Founded in 1985, Travelodge is the second largest hotel brand in the United Kingdom based on number of hotels and number of rooms operated. We leased, franchised and managed 595 hotels and c. 46,000 rooms throughout the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland at 31 December 2022.

Love a travel lodge! Was one of the first UK hotels I ever stayed in when I first started visiting (Manchester airport). Fewer options there now so have moved over to Premiere Inns or Motel 1 when flying out early morning.

Never had an issue withTravelodge and we've stayed in plenty. Always nice bright airy rooms that are usually spotlessly clean. The one in Huddersfield is exceptional. The staff are simply tremendous .

They are cheap and cheerful but they offer pet friendly rooms, and i have found them to always be nice with friendly staff.

Good video. Would you consider doing a review of other hotels, including the Premier Inn?

Great video, Scott. Those Travelodges looked pretty decent to me. IMO the first one could have gotten a 10/10 if it were a little cleaner in the bath. As for the view it wasn’t too bad if you were to look past the roof. On the last one I couldn’t help but notice the sign outside that was half non functional. That said, now I double dog dare you to review some Travelodges in the U.S… 😂

I enjoyed that Scott! Never stayed at a travelodge but I used to work at a Best Western so I was intrigued. Dust doesn't bother me but the cleanliness of the loo does! I've been a cleaner & I was good so I'm fussy! People expect different things, some of our reviews were great & others dreadful & they were all getting the same service!

I've stayed in several different Travelodges- they do seem to vary a lot in quality. Some can be really clean and up to date, some are fairly dated and then I've had a couple which have been absolutely filthy.

I live in the US southwest, and I've found the Travelodge hotels to be 'hit and miss' a lot. One will be very clean and comfortable, the next is filthy, noisy and not great. They're not always inexpensive either, so I usually avoid that brand.

I've never been thoroughly impressed by a Travelodge on anything other than pricing, but they've always been acceptable stays for the price that was paid. Most of the time, I would pay a little extra per night for Premier Inn if it's available. While they might be of a similar level of quality, they tend to be very consistent across hotels and I appreciate that more.

Travelodge is one of those places where you stay for a cheap one night stay however i don't recommend staying beyond one night .

I thought the checks for dust were a little excessive. It would be more useful to use a measuring device in the bathroom which is a bit more scientific than the the U.V. Light i.e. something that tells whether there are high levels of harmful bacteria compared to what you find in a typical well maintained home. I remember on the how clean is your house film they had a gizmo that they would use. Great advice for finding the best room rates.

We use Travelodge often and the only problem we have had is with not hot water. The staff were very good and changed us to another room and gave us a complimentary breakfast