Generally I agree with Amy. I would normally pay for a cheap hotel myself if it was somewhere oop north. I have even stayed in the same hotel as the client without telling them. I usually get a room service breakfast and hope they are not checking out at the same time. However, I recently received an invitation for an extended dinner date in London with Dexi. I have met the guy before so no he is genuine. He wants us for 5 hours starting at 6pm. I just gave him an all inclusive fee for us to travel by train from Manchester and an overnight stay in a nearby hotel. He has accepted the amount without a problem.
I do think this guy sounds like a timewaster though.