Travelodge Bath Central

I was worried after reading the reviews, but ended up pleasantly surprised. The location was perfect, and I had no noise problems. On arrival, a lovely receptionist looked after my bags since I was early for check-in. I could choose between a ground-floor room and one with a pretty good “view.” The room was basic but clean. Breakfast is just a box of cereal, milk and pastries, so I don't think it's worth paying for when there are so many nice places nearby. I'll come back next time I'm in the area for work.

The location is the main thing this hotel has going for it, though nighttime noise was an issue. The two receptionists I spoke with earlier, when dropping off my bags, were polite and helpful. The room I eventually got was better, with no smell and full phone signal and 5G. That makes it seem like the dead spot was in one part of the hotel, probably because the first room was high up, rather than in that part of Bath generally. I paid £116 for one night. On arrival the man at reception wasn't there at first, and when he appeared he didn't greet me, make eye contact or seem friendly. My first-floor room smelled of cigarettes, though I don't know how recently it had been smoked in. There was no mobile signal or data, and I couldn't even make a call. When I went back to ask about changing rooms and the dead zone, he didn't apologize about the smell and said the signal was just like that in that area of Bath. I didn't believe that, given we were in the city centre. He moved me to the second floor. When I asked what could be done about the signal, he explained the 30 minutes of free WiFi and seemed to expect me to buy more. I asked if he really expected me to pay when he knew there was a dead zone, and how I was meant to contact anyone. His tone changed again. He shrugged and said it was like that there. I walked away frustrated, then he shouted from the reception booth for me to “check my attitude.” His unhelpfulness, lack of concern and unprofessional manner were why I walked off. I returned the first key, and he lectured me again about my supposed attitude. It turned into an altercation because I wasn't willing to be spoken to so disrespectfully. I walked off again saying I wasn't arguing any more, but he kept shouting after me from reception. Other people were there, which was embarrassing. If guests can't call or use the internet in some rooms, expecting them to pay for WiFi seems unreasonable. Complimentary WiFi would have been a simple way to resolve it. I'm not expecting luxury from a TravelLodge, but I've stayed in much cleaner and more professional ones in places considered less nice than Bath, where you'd expect better. I'm really disappointed. There are plenty of other decent hotels around, and I'd rather pay a little extra for a better stay.

A huge waste of money. The room was freezing, and the plug-in heater barely helped. We didn't get fresh towels, and the soap dispenser was empty. There was damp on the ceilings and cracks in the walls. It looked like the place hadn't been updated since the war. These standards are unacceptable and this hotel needs a serious investigation. Don't book unless you want the worst stay of your life. Absolutely appalling, the worst hotel I've stayed at by far.

The early morning noise made it impossible to sleep. I was in Room 7, facing the car park, and the bins being filled or emptied around 6am were extremely loud. Work resurfacing the car park behind the hotel started around 7am and was loud too. With the room looking straight onto that area, there was hardly any privacy unless I kept the curtains closed. When I arrived, the room was freezing. There was a tiny heater in the corner, switched off at the wall, and I had to reset it before it worked. The bathroom needs serious updating. It felt old and unclean, smelled strongly of sewage, and the pipes were very noisy early in the morning. The room overall was grim and run down. The front desk didn't seem to be staffed regularly, so there was nobody to talk to when the problems came up. Travelodge Bath Central felt tired and unappealing. I wouldn't recommend it for a pleasant stay or a decent night's sleep.