They have the special offer for ?29 a night (if you book 2 nights)...I've read the T&Cs about availablity etc but every date and location I try it doesn't give me ?29 per night - more like ?100+ !!

Anyone know which Premier Inn hotels (in/around London) are actually part of the offer? And has anyone actually managed to book one of these (seemingly) mythical short breaks?


(PS: I posted this here cos I was thinking of doing Incalls from them - obviously cheap is good!)

I've seen that - thought it was only if you booked like a month in advance of the dates wanted? How far ahead have you tried? x

I tried all months until September 

This offer is normally if you book in advance, a month in advance for example and will not take into account bank holidays and the busiest days for hotels, the 'business days' where they know they get booked up with business guys and gals arriving.  It's a great PR exercise. You can get the rooms at 29.00 but only on selective dates - dates they have realised are quiet dates, they have been in this hotel business for years and can predict when it is going to be quiet after all!
Often I have gone to look at dates and found a specific hotel is not running the deal, the hotel in the city for example, whereas the one out in the sticks is running it.
It's good if you know you have a regular or three that you see on a certain day and date each month and that coincides with a 29.00 offer but that's luck really, how many things in life fall into that little bucket of luck?
x

Cat, would you really want to work from a Premier Inn anyway? You maybe know more of them than I do, but I can categorically state that I have never set foot in one (and how I wish I could end that sentence there) in the last five years which didn't have keycard access to the lifts/rooms and it's a real pain having to come down to reception and let every client in, not to mention a bit obvious if you're busy.

If you're not bothered about that, some of the Travellodges a little away from the very centre (City Road, Aldgate East and so on) also have ?29 rooms available fairly regularly, provided you book 30 days in advance. Some of them are so rank I've walked out, so read some review sites first (Tripadvisor is a good one).

I completely forgot about TripAdvisor - I love that site! I think that needs to be my first port of call, then ask on here if anyone's worked from the hotels I like the look of.

I have a Travelodge not 5 mins up the road from me - I can see it from my front window - but it looks a complete dump. I wouldn't dream of working from there, it really would give clients the impression that I'm cheap & nasty...the Holiday Inn further up the same road looks quite nice, BUT the limited parking is ?7.50 a day - this means I still would have to come downstairs for most clients to give them the parking permit! 

I'm just really exploring the hotel incall idea - I need to get "incalls" off the ground while I'm waiting for a permanent working place to appear.

It's all fun! 

Cat, I'd stay away from travelodges and premier Inns...as previously said, a lot of premier inns use keycards to get in the lobby alone, and travelodges are pretty divey. If you want to use hotels, you really need to speculate to accumulate, which is a bugger if you don't have concrete bookings as they start at ?100 per night if you're lucky.

Try and see if you can rent a room in a flat for a couple of days instead. It'll be a lot more private, and convenient. There's already a couple of ads in the seeking/offering section I'd try out if I was you - it'll leave a much better impression with the client and will be a lot more safer and comfortable for you, and might be a lot cheaper than getting a half decent hotel in London.

The last time I tried a Premier Inn, I had to give clients the keycard through the window so they could come through the lobby discretely, and the wall were so thin I dread to think what the rest of the inhabitants heard! As for the creaky bed...oi vey! They ?29 ones are cheap for a reason...

I like Premier Inns, have had no problems with them at all.  Used a few Travelodges too, but much prefer the Premier Inns.

The ones I've stayed in have had really good customer service, good fast broadband access (alot of hotels say they have it and they don't or it's only in certain areas of the hotel).  I need the wi fi for camming when I'm not taking bookings.

The keycard system has always worked for me, usually in Premier Inns and Travelodges, clients can walk straight into the lift, up to my room without going through reception which is great.  Plus these hotel chains are big so they go unnoticed.

Also, I like to have a bath as well, not just a shower cubicle and a spacious room, so it works well for me.

Stayed in a few other hotels in London, but really I like my Premier Inns