Booking a hotel in the UK often feels like a lottery, with soaring prices and uncertainty about the room you'll actually get. However, a savvy discovery by a travel journalist has revealed a remarkably simple and cheap way to guarantee a more spacious stay at Travelodge.
The £3.50 Discovery That Upgrades Your Stay
Senior Travel Journalist Amy Jones stumbled upon this useful trick while organising a weekend trip to London with friends in 2024. After booking a standard triple family room at the Travelodge London Central City Road for a Saturday night, she noticed an option in her booking a few days before arrival labelled 'choose my room'.
Intrigued, she investigated and found that for a mere additional £3.50, she could select her exact room from a digital floor plan of the hotel. All the rooms shown were within her booked category, but the floor plans clearly indicated that some were significantly larger than others.
Naturally, Amy selected the biggest room available. She admitted to initial scepticism, wondering if paying less than a fiver would actually secure the premium space. Yet, upon checking in on Saturday afternoon, she was handed the keys to the precise, more spacious room she had chosen online.
More Than Just Extra Square Footage
The benefits of this hack extend well beyond simply bagging a bigger room. The 'choose your room' feature, available at over 575 Travelodge hotels across the UK, allows guests to tailor their stay in several key ways.
You can use it to ensure your room is near family or friends also staying at the hotel, secure a specific view, guarantee a top or ground floor location, or pick a room close to the lift for easier access. It effectively removes the guesswork and potential disappointment at check-in.
In Amy's case, the £3.50 investment transformed their stay. 'We were treated to a sprawling room with a double bed and two twin beds, despite never changing the room category,' she reported. The extra space was invaluable for a group getting ready for a night out, providing a hotel upgrade experience without the hefty upgrade cost.
Important Considerations for Travellers
While this is a powerful tool for the budget-conscious traveller, its success depends on a couple of factors. Firstly, it is contingent on the specific hotel's layout and availability. Not every Travelodge will have a larger room available within every booked category, but it is always worth checking the option.
Secondly, the fee for choosing your room can vary slightly. The price is influenced by the individual hotel, the type of room booked, and the length of stay. However, it remains a low-cost add-on for the potential perks it offers.
This clever booking strategy highlights how a small, informed action can significantly enhance a travel experience. For anyone planning a UK city break, family visit, or weekend away, checking for the 'choose your room' option at Travelodge could be the difference between a cramped stay and a comfortably spacious one.
