Travelodge Manchester Central Riverside

It’s an easy five-minute walk on level ground to the centre of Spinningfields, and we’ll definitely stay again. There’s scaffolding up at the moment, but the work caused no noise or inconvenience. The rooms are large and spacious, with a good bathroom and an amazing shower. Heating and air conditioning, a TV, and tea and coffee facilities are provided. The beds and pillows are superb, so we always sleep well. It’s everything you’d expect from a Premier Inn.

We had a good stay in a clean, quiet, well-equipped room, and even had a cool view out the window. The shower pressure wasn’t great, but it was nice to have a thermostat to set the water temperature, which I don’t often see in cheaper hotels. The car park had plenty of spaces and wasn’t full despite the busy Black Friday weekend in Manchester. The walk to the centre is a bit long, though the 33 bus goes near Piccadilly Gardens. The restaurant bar was being refurbished, so breakfast wasn’t available. We’d been told well ahead of time and made other arrangements, with a McDonald’s and KFC next door.

For my 13-night stay, the rooms were more pleasant than I expected and quite affordable. I liked the location, the easy trip into the city centre, and the amazing river view from my assigned room. Some practical things would have helped on a longer visit: a small fridge in the room and microwaves in common areas would let guests keep fruit and food instead of ordering every day. The soundproofing could be better too. People walking down the corridor sounded as if they were coming into my room. I also had to ask for fresh towels and duvet changes myself during my stay. For longer stays, guests should ideally get room cleaning at least once a week.

I’m writing about our stay booked at Travelodge Central Riverside in Manchester for January 31st to February 1st. After a 5.5-hour drive, we arrived at 1 AM and were told the hotel was overbooked. We had booked a week ahead, and at 11:16 PM I’d called to explain traffic had delayed us. The person on the phone said it was absolutely fine and never mentioned the overbooking. When we asked why, the male receptionist later said he hadn’t bothered checking the system. We were left outside for about 5-8 minutes, buzzing repeatedly and knocking. Staff were clearly in the bar area and seemed aware we were waiting, but didn’t open the door. There were two staff members serving one person at the bar. Once inside, the male staff member who first started helping us quickly swapped with a colleague. Receptionist Melondy giggled while telling us about the overbooking and didn’t seem to take it seriously. There was no apology. She said, “Don’t worry, it’s not your fault.” The male receptionist then dismissed my partner, ignored her attempts to speak, and addressed me instead. He was disrespectful and came across as rude and sexist. He raised his arm in her face and became increasingly irate. The way he spoke to her reduced her to tears. When I asked for customer service contact details and the male receptionist’s name, he got defensive and warned me against writing anything negative about him or his colleagues. That escalated things unnecessarily. He also had no name badge, which I believe is compulsory in retail. We had already paid for parking, as instructed on arrival. We were told we’d be moved to a hotel five minutes away, but the one they sent us to was 15 minutes away and a lower star rating than the one we’d booked. It also put us farther from where we needed to be the next day. We’d chosen Central Riverside for its convenient location. The service we received was far below what I expect from Travelodge. I hope this complaint is taken seriously and look forward to a prompt response.