How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
Does anyone have experience of using Travelodges on a cycling tour? Do they generally have anywhere to store bikes safely? Any advice much appreciated.
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
We stayed at the travel lodge at Dumbarton on our lejog after a horrendous day of rain. The girl on reception rang her boss who told her to put the bikes in a locked laundry room. They were very helpful. We were going to chain them up outside but staff we very reluctant for us to do that.
Graham
Graham
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
I understand that most of our contributors on here that use Travel Lodges, keep them in their rooms.
Never used one myself (yet).
Never used one myself (yet).
Mick F. Cornwall
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
There were three of us and we were on the first floor. The girl on reception thought we 'd have more room using laundry room. I must admit three bikes with panniers in a family room would have been a squeeze.
Graham.
Graham.
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
"How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?"
Quite simply , they are the most friendly places you could wish to take your bicycle! They'll either let you take your bike into your room or, as has been said, will provide another area for you to leave it. I've been into TL's soaking wet and covered in mud at 2am (last week if fact) and they didn't blink an eye. On the contrary, the guy was amazingly friendly and helpful.
These are not isolated examples either. I've stayed in TL's across the country, as have many, many friends, so this must be company policy.
Quite simply , they are the most friendly places you could wish to take your bicycle! They'll either let you take your bike into your room or, as has been said, will provide another area for you to leave it. I've been into TL's soaking wet and covered in mud at 2am (last week if fact) and they didn't blink an eye. On the contrary, the guy was amazingly friendly and helpful.
These are not isolated examples either. I've stayed in TL's across the country, as have many, many friends, so this must be company policy.
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Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
I can endorse what other posters have said. On each occasion (at different TLs) staff have immediately suggested taking the bike to the room (without may asking): or offered another secure space when the stairs were difficult. (For balance, perhaps I ought to add that this is the only feature which Travelodges have to commend them, albeit a very important one. Pretty dire places in almost every other respect!)
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Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
is there an equivalently accomodating hotel chain on the continent? the first time i went cycling in spain by myself only the hotels with a car parking garage would provide a secure place for the bike, none would allow my bike in my room with me. subsequent cycling trips to europe were done camping only.....
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Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
mick skinner wrote:is there an equivalently accomodating hotel chain on the continent? ..
Not sure about Spain but I believe most of the budget chains in France are bike friendly, certainly had a good experience with PremiereClasse Hotel (http://www.premiereclasse.com/en/default.aspx) in Nice. Bikes up in lift to room, no problem. Price of room was around 40 Euros. Hotel was across the road from Nice Airport, so pretty ideal really.
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
mick skinner wrote:none would allow my bike in my room with me.
I've never tried it, but would one of the polythene bike bags designed for taking your bike on a plane that the CTC sell encourage hotels to let you keep the bike in the room? If the bikes cleanly packed, it might encourage them.
(Plus the bags big enough to get into in a heavy storm )
Supporter of the A10 corridor cycling campaign serving Royston to Cambridge http://a10corridorcycle.com. Never knew gardening secateurs were an essential part of the on bike tool kit until I took up campaigning.....
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Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
Used one with a friend some years ago, near Harwich. The receptionist let us take the bikes up to the room, bit of an obstacle going to the loo in the night but couldnt be more secure (and dry!)
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
My experience of using Travel Lodges mirrors the above comments (locked store room or room).
Staff always helpful and even got some great route advice from the girl on reception at Taunton who was a keen cyclist herself.
Thing is, I prefer B&B's. Usually meet some great characters and always enjoy a good breakfast which has to be paid for seperately at travel lodges.
Still, if non B&B's have vacancies, I don't find it a hardship to use the Travel Lodge, quite teh opposite in fact.
Gazza
Staff always helpful and even got some great route advice from the girl on reception at Taunton who was a keen cyclist herself.
Thing is, I prefer B&B's. Usually meet some great characters and always enjoy a good breakfast which has to be paid for seperately at travel lodges.
Still, if non B&B's have vacancies, I don't find it a hardship to use the Travel Lodge, quite teh opposite in fact.
Gazza
Why not Look at Sheila's Wheelers E2E Journal
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Whatever you do, buy fair trade.
And smile.
Or My Personal Site
Or My Tweets
Whatever you do, buy fair trade.
And smile.
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
We stayed at TL's at Crewe, Ludlow, Tiverton, Okehampton and St Austell on our JOGLE and the bikes went into the room every time. We usually wheeled them straight in, panniers and all. The guy at Crewe was a bit sniffy about it, as the Hotel's brand new, but he was OK after we told him they were not muddy.
You can often get TL's cheap if you book far enough in advance, but they are a bit soulless and getting breakfast can sometimes be an issue.
You can often get TL's cheap if you book far enough in advance, but they are a bit soulless and getting breakfast can sometimes be an issue.
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
Oh and be careful booking the Todhills Travel Lodge.
The road has been reclassified as a Motorway and it has no service road so there is no access on foot or cycle.
Gazza
The road has been reclassified as a Motorway and it has no service road so there is no access on foot or cycle.
Gazza
Why not Look at Sheila's Wheelers E2E Journal
Or My Personal Site
Or My Tweets
Whatever you do, buy fair trade.
And smile.
Or My Personal Site
Or My Tweets
Whatever you do, buy fair trade.
And smile.
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
Had my first TL experience a few weeks ago in Leeds Central - wheeled the bike in every night for 4 nights, staff didn't bat an eyelid & couldn't have been more helpful. It was loads better than I was expecting...
Re: How cycle-friendly are Travelodges?
Bath put ours in the conference room when we stayed. That was a lot easier than maneouvering them into our rooms.