Travelodge Harlow

TLodge Harlow’s free parking is first come, first served, so a space isn’t guaranteed. On departure day, you only have until noon, rather than the usual 24-hour parking window. After that, you can’t leave the car for more than three hours, which makes parking there through a working day impossible. The NCP across the road adds £8.80 to your stay unless you’re staying more than one day.

The TV was visibly broken, with black lines across the screen and white bars flashing constantly over the picture. When I asked staff to move me to another room, they checked it and said it was fine. The location is horrendous, though I suppose that’s what you expect from any hotel unlucky enough to be in Harlow.

It was nice to be able to say good morning to the staff each day. The front desk people were kind and understanding, and the service was nice. The rooms are what you’d expect from a Travelodge, and the beds were relatively comfortable. The location isn’t anything special, but it works if you’re stopping by on a trip. There’s a Toby’s carvery next door for quick food. I enjoyed my stay and had no issues, so I’d recommend it.

The key cards let us through the reception door but wouldn’t open our room. This happened at least five times, so we kept going up and down to reception, which was closed at a few points. Really frustrating. If there were a medical emergency, this could become a health and safety issue.