Travelodge Watford Central

The room was tiny, though the beds were comfortable. We stayed there to visit the Warner Brothers Studios, and the location worked for that. The bigger problem was breakfast. We arrived at 8:30 am, while it was still meant to be served until 10, but there was almost nothing left. I kept asking the woman working there to bring out more food, and after a long wait she only brought hash browns. I felt bad for her because she was doing everything by herself, but she was very slow. My kids wanted pancakes, but I eventually gave up asking. The coffee machine was broken too, so I had to drink poor quality instant coffee. We left half an hour later feeling frustrated. We would have been better off spending the money at one of the many cafes around the hotel. Our room was next to the corridor door, which was really loud whenever anyone came to our floor. It sounded like people were opening our room door, and I slept terribly. Reception closes at 10 pm, though guests get a key to open the hotel entrance. I'm not sure how safe that is.

The room was nice and manageable, and breakfast was okay, about what you'd expect. It's a busy, noisy town or city location. It seemed like many guests worked locally, and some may have been staying there between housing arrangements, so it felt like a hotel with mixed purposes, not just leisure. It's central for shopping and the Harry Potter experience, with the main street close by and a 10-15 minute walk to the train station for the Harry Potter shuttle bus.

The location is convenient, about a 4 out of 5, close to the shopping centre and Watford junction station for the Harry Potter tour. But the stay and service get zero stars from me. This “hotel” is definitely 100% used for temporary accommodation for the homeless, and advertising it as a hotel is ridiculous. There were lots of dodgy people hanging around reception and outside the main door, and staff clearly didn't care about paying residents. There was never anyone at reception. Some residents played music as loud as possible constantly, day and night, with absolute zero respect. Our room, 110, wasn't good. It smelled strongly of smoke and cigarettes when we arrived, there weren't clean towels for two people, and I had to get them from the cleaning trolley myself. The bed frame was heavily stained and hadn't been cleaned in some time. The bathroom shower curtain was heavily stained and covered in residue, and definitely hadn't been replaced or washed in its entirety. The windows didn't block noise and the curtains didn't even fit them. Two nights of absolute garbage. Don't book here if you want a good night's sleep. The clientele they take on temporarily was very off putting. I definitely won't book this place if I visit Watford again. There are better hotels nearby. Cheaper isn't always better.

The rooms were okay, and the car park is right next door. Breakfast was very good, and the service was good too. The front of the building gets deafening traffic noise, though, and bottled beer at the bar was very expensive. Overall, a good stay.