Premier Inn vs Travelodge vs easyHotel – which is the best budget hotel chain?
THE UK isn't short of budget hotel chains, with some rooms for as little as £19.
And as a cheap traveller myself, I've stayed in many of them along the way.
But choosing which budget hotel can be tricky - so we've compared the big names Premier Inn, Travelodge and easyHotel to find out which is the best.
Here are the pros and cons of each cheap hotel chain, as well as how much they cost.
Premier Inn
With more than 800 hotels, Premier Inn has the cheapest rooms from £21 at their Zip hotels.
PROS
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- Good locations - the chain has the most hotels compared to the other two
- Free WiFi - you can use it for free as a guest of the hotel
- Always clean - the rooms are basic but always well cleaned
- 'Quiet' floors - if you really need a full night sleep, they have floors that are there for quiet
- All-you-can-eat breakfasts for £9.50, while kids eat free - a bargain for families staying with a long day ahead.
CONS
- Slow WiFi - while it's free, don't expect to be able to stream much, so it might be best to upgrade to the faster one
- Hit and miss breakfast - sometimes the food is great, other times it can be a bit low quality, depending on which hotel chain it is.
Travelodge
There are more than 590 Travelodge hotels, with rooms from £34.
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PROS
- Cheapest breakfast - with all-you-can-eat breakfast from £8.99, kids under 15 eat free
- Dinner options are also affordable - with £12.75 for two courses.
- Good choice of rooms - can opt for doubles or family rooms depending what you need, as well as their better SuperRooms
CONS
- Have to pay for WiFi - guests only get 30 minutes free
- Rooms can be a bit tired - upgrades are being rolled out in 2023, with some yet to be updated
- Dinner options can often sell out - not everything on the menu is often available so don't get your hopes up for one dish
easyHotel
The smallest chain of the bunch - with just 43 hotels in the UK - easyHotel has rooms starting from £25.20.
PROS
- Free WiFi - also very fast and you don't have to pay to use it
- Very clean rooms - they are also often very warm, unlike other air-conditioned hotels and are more modern
- More flexibility with price - you can choose a room with or without a window to save on cost.
CONS
- Breakfast isn't included - so will have to use the snack machine or head outside
- Rooms don't have tea or coffee facilities - have to pay £1 from vending machine
- They charge £5 to hold bags - not good if you have an early flight.
Verdict
For me, Premier Inn stands out, not just because it is the cheapest on the list.
It is at some of the best locations, being at most major airports and all cities, but my rooms have always been clean.
Not only that, but the food options, including the breakfast and dinner, nearly always hit the spot, especially for how little they cost.
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It also gets high marks for its upgrade options which include its SuperRooms and their "quiet" floors.
However, there is nothing wrong with an easyHotel or Travelodge - easyHotel is the most modern and Travelodge is in some amazing locations, including airports - so depending on which is cheaper, you can't really go wrong.