Premier Inn vs Travelodge
Premier Inn usually costs a little more and leans on its branded "Hypnos" beds and a published Good Night Guarantee refund promise if you don't sleep well; most branches also have an on-site restaurant (Bar + Block, Thyme or a local franchise). Travelodge tends to run cheaper on the same route, keeps things simpler, and offers a paid SuperRoom upgrade with a better bed, blackout curtains and a Nespresso machine on its larger rooms.
Booking direct usually beats the OTAs
Both chains sell their own cheapest, most flexible rates through their own app or website rather than through Booking.com or Expedia, and both run a free loyalty scheme — Premier Inn Rewards and Travelodge's SuperRoomS club — worth joining before a multi-stop trip where you'll likely stay with the same chain more than once.
Where they cluster
Branches concentrate around stations, city-centre retail streets and out-of-town retail parks rather than historic centres, so a Premier Inn five minutes from a station might still be a fifteen-minute walk from the actual sights. Worth checking the walking distance to what you actually want to see, not just the distance to the train.
How to find and book one
The chain's own app or website is the easiest way to search by location with a map view, which makes checking the actual walk to a station far more reliable than trusting a listing's "city centre" label. A plain Google Maps search for "Premier Inn near [station name]" or "Travelodge near [station name]" turns up the closest branch faster than scrolling a booking site's results list. Booking.com and Expedia are worth a look too if you want to compare a chain hotel against independent options on the same page rather than searching separately.
What to check before you book
Room types aren't all the same price for the same reason: Premier Inn's standard "Classic" room sits below its "Premier Plus" tier (more space, upgraded toiletries, usually a quieter floor), and Travelodge's standard room sits below its "SuperRoom" upgrade (better bed, blackout curtains, a Nespresso machine). Parking is a separate cost at most city-centre and town branches — often a flat overnight charge rather than free, and worth checking before you assume it's included. Breakfast is almost always a paid extra at both chains rather than bundled into the room rate, so factor it in separately if you're comparing the total cost against a B&B that includes it.