Travelodge Excel

The friendly, courteous staff seemed hampered by rigid rules set by management. During local conventions the prices rise a lot, but the hotel still feels budget, with minimal service and fees for every small thing. Even Wi-Fi costs extra, and checking in a couple of hours early comes with a charge. There’s no laundry service or luggage storage if your room isn’t ready. Housekeeping only empties the bin and replaces towels for a “room top-up.” Full cleaning doesn’t happen unless you stay a week. They even left rubbish bags beside the bin because they weren’t technically inside it. The carpets are stained and disgusting, and when I raised it, management said they already knew. That should be dealt with. Our toilet kept clogging, but reception couldn’t find any tools or even a plunger to help. The clean beds and warm shower were the only highlights. Unless management fixes the maintenance problems and outdated fees, I’d look elsewhere.

Being within walking distance of Excel London is the only good thing I can say about the hotel. The internet was painfully slow and intermittent, so I had to keep going down to the lobby to report problems because there’s no phone in the room. I didn’t let them clean the room because there’s no safe in it. I only had breakfast on the first morning, but it was paid for, and they charged me for three breakfasts. The receptionist couldn’t retrieve the bill or issue the credit. I couldn’t even get an invoice because the people at the counter didn’t know how to check someone out. I rarely leave bad reviews, and this is the last time I’ll stay at a travelodge brand. 🤔😔🤦‍♀️

The team were friendly, service was smooth, and my room was tidy and comfortable. I had a good stay and would come back. A couple of small suggestions: it’d be nice to have a regular plug socket by the bed, since there are only USB ports. Breakfast could have more variety, perhaps fried eggs and a small salad section with corn and greens instead of just scrambled eggs. The fruit bowl needed checking too, as some of the melon was still icy and partly frozen.

I visit every year and have never had an issue here. At breakfast the sausages or mushrooms I wanted were sometimes running low, so I had to wait a little while they were freshly cooked and topped up. I saw that as a plus, since they weren’t left sitting on hot plates getting cold. Another good visit as usual.