A simple yet effective booking trick has been uncovered that can land Travelodge guests a significantly larger room for a minimal extra cost, bypassing the usual uncertainty of hotel allocations.
The Discovery of a Budget-Friendly Upgrade
The insight came from a traveller, Amy Jones, during a trip to London with friends earlier this year. After booking a standard triple family room at the Travelodge on Central City Road for a Saturday night, she noticed an option in her booking a few days before arrival.
For an additional £3.50, the 'choose your room' feature allowed her to select the exact room from a site map showing all available options within her booked category. To her surprise, the floor plans revealed that some rooms in the same category were markedly larger than others.
How the Room Selection Trick Works
Acting on this discovery, Amy paid the fee and selected the most spacious room shown on the plan. Despite initial scepticism over whether such a small payment would guarantee the better room, the keys to the chosen, more expansive quarters were handed over at check-in.
The group found themselves in a sprawling room with a double bed and two singles, providing crucial extra space for getting ready for a night out. This was achieved without ever changing the booked room category or paying for a costly upgrade.
Wider Benefits and Important Considerations
This useful feature is available at over 575 Travelodge hotels across the UK. While it can potentially secure a larger room, as Amy discovered, it also serves other practical purposes. Guests can use it to ensure they are lodged near family or friends, guarantee a particular view, select a top or ground floor room, or secure a location close to a lift.
It effectively eliminates the guesswork from check-in. However, success depends on the specific hotel's availability and layout. Not all Travelodge hotels will have a bigger room available in every category, and the fee can fluctuate based on the hotel, room type, and length of stay.
Nevertheless, for travellers seeking a bit more space or certainty on their next budget break, paying a few pounds to handpick your room could be a very shrewd investment.
