If you’re willing to forgo charm for reliability, it’s not hard to find cheap rooms in the UK that are clean, decent and reasonably well equipped.
Some UK and international budget hotel chains and groups specialize in meeting basic traveler requirements at a predictable and acceptable level. Sure, there may be a kind of global similarity about such rooms, but, viewed realistically, there are times when this type of cheap accommodation is exactly what you need.
When price is more important than style
Let’s say you’re on tour in England, Scotland, or Wales. You will likely want to see historical landmarks, castles, wonderful landscapes, and museums. You will be able to sample typical pubs, the best of art and music scenes, great ethnic food, great shops, bustling cities and quaint towns. On a trip like that, does a stylish lobby or hotel room decor really matter? Will you really spend time in the hotel pool when you can be outside? How long will you spend in your room anyway?
A warm and dry room, it has comfortable beds with clean linens, reliable hot and cold running water in a clean bathroom, reliable (and free) WiFi, and space to hang some clothes. Grab a spot for coffee and a light breakfast before hitting the road and you’ll be good to go.
International hotel chains that make it a science
Large UK and international hotel chains and groups have minimum standards and regular inspections. Wear them and you can probably save enough for a night or two by splurging at a quaint and charming B&B inn or luxury boutique hotel.
These UK and international hotel chains can be trusted to provide good, basic, cheap or moderately priced accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales:
- Best Western The world’s largest group of independently owned and operated hotels has more than 4,000 hotels in 80 countries and around 250 in the UK. Because this is an association of hotel owners and small hotel groups, individual, independent style is not sacrificed for cookie cutter equality. Hotels are regularly inspected and meet or exceed a decent brand standard. Although not all Best Westerners are cheap, the variety of price ranges includes many good value rooms in the UK.
- Choice Hotels This is a huge franchise operation with 6,800 franchised hotels and more than 500,000 rooms in 40 countries. In the UK they operate in 19 cities, under various brands, including Comfort Inn (14 locations), Quality Inns (6 locations), Ascend Hotels (new group with only a few hotels) and The Clarion Collection (7 locations). They tend to cluster around airports, business centers, and medium-sized cities.
- CitizenM is a relatively new international group that has spread from Amsterdam to the major cities of the world. They have five hotels in the UK, two in Glasgow and three in London. They call themselves boutique hotels and they are if your style of style is minimalism and high-tech (room lights, heating, and blinds are controlled from a bedside tablet). The design of the public areas is modern and fun. They are not really suitable for families, but for couples and singles (of all ages) they are convenient, comfortable and very trendy.
- Days Inns Like Days Inns in the US, they are franchise hotels in the classic basic budget mold. They operate 78 hotels in 62 UK cities with clusters around airports, sports venues and business centers. They also have franchises to operate in designated highway service areas where their rooms are spotless and surprisingly comfortable.
- Easy Hotels started out as basic London hotels owned by Stelios, the charismatic founder of EasyJet. Today they have 13 UK hotels in seven cities (seven in London) with new hotels in Belfast, Sheffield and Leeds in September 2019. The rooms are en-suite and air-conditioned in summer, but to give you an idea of the basics that It is this place that is, they list “heat” as a feature of the hotel. Fine if you don’t mind the color orange. WiFi and TV are paid and can add up, so try browsing online at a Starbucks.
- Ibis Part of the French-owned Accor group, this budget chain is well established in Europe and in 2018 had 159 hotels in England and Scotland. It operates three brands in the UK, Ibis Hotels, Ibis Styles (designer colors, family oriented, breakfast and WiFi included in prices) and Ibis Budget (London airport and suburban rooms).
- Holiday Inn Express Fairly standard decor, but rates include continental breakfast. There are over 30 of these in and around London, but check the locations carefully – the cheapest may be in areas with few visitor amenities.
- Jurys Inn This Irish-owned chain, with a minimalist style, has new specially designed hotels in destination cities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. These hotels are more in the mid-price range than budget, but the chain offers frequent deals. The draw here is reliability and the consistent level of comfort and service, whatever hotel you choose. But they are definitely not the bottom dollar.
- Premier Inns The UK’s largest hotel chain with over 750 locations across the UK and a handful of locations in Germany and the Middle East in 2018. Free WiFi and luxury beds are standard across the chain. Full buffet breakfasts in English or continental are offered as extras but at relatively reasonable prices. They offer good value for money in central London with hotels close to Westminster Abbey, the London Eye and St James’s Park.
- Travelodge A very large and very stripped down UK chain with some family rooms with special offers. They have over 500 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain. Of all the budget groups operating in the UK, this is the riskiest. You can find a nice, clean and cozy room, or you can end up in one where you don’t dare to walk on the rugs without shoes and where the kids or the hen party crowds go on all night. Useful in a pinch, but I wouldn’t base a tour on these.
