accommodation

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
tyreon
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Joined: 4 Oct 2012, 4:39pm

accommodation

Post by tyreon »

Touring abroad I just 'turn up' and get pension,logis,zimmer or whatever at(it seems)regular prices. Sure,if I book ahead I might get some better deal at some chain hotel network,but the deal I get on the day doesn't seem to be at great variance to what-might-be-booked-ahead. Not so in the UK tho. Or have I got it wrong? For example,I arrive in X city(in the UK) to book into a chain hotel complex and they seem to charge top-dollar,whereas if I had pre-booked it even a day earlier I would have paid £40pn instead of the £70 they want to charge me. Have I got this wrong,or what?

I am of the old-fashioned school and ageing cyclist: to get a reasonable rate in a UK hotel chain do I have to carry around an i-paid or i-phone and pay by card over this network to get a reasonable rate,or what? I guess to turn-up-on-the-day best value comes from taking the local b+b,if there is one.

What's your experience? Have I a misunderstanding here?
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foxyrider
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Re: accommodation

Post by foxyrider »

Rip off Britain again! :oops:

Try using a website like Booking.com, you can get some great prices usually without having to pay up front. This is what i do in Europe too, you can get a better deal than just turning up almost every time.

Of course B&B's will charge what they like but its usually fixed for a set calender period, once again in the UK it will generally change depending on demand (school hols etc) but in Europe its more likely to remain the same across the whole summer/winter periods.

We could title this 'Rail Fares' and we could say pretty much the same thing, fares in Europe will be for a journey, not a time of day/event/time of year. :(
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
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MrsHJ
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Location: Dartmouth, Devon.

Re: accommodation

Post by MrsHJ »

If you avoid the chains and just go for local b & bs you'll be putting money into the local economy instead of into some private equity firm. I know this isn't always the practical answer and we use one chain regularly as a family but I don't think you're going to get them to change their ways- as you say a phone with 3G enabled will help book online for cheaper rates, even on the day, than turning up.
tyreon
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Re: accommodation

Post by tyreon »

Thanks for reply and advice. I know logis or pension or other authorised pension have prices(usually)affixed to the back of the bedroom door detailing authorised prices in said season(sometimes they may be 'negotiable,' depending upon the establishment). Booking: My wife and I now carry a 'tablet':is it 'safe' and practical(read,easy)to book into,say,some chain hotel by this? And,is it safe putting in all credit card details etc? We're always a little nervous about booking this way(for some reason feeling better secured booking using the computer at home).

Thanks for any advice.
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foxyrider
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Re: accommodation

Post by foxyrider »

tyreon wrote:Thanks for reply and advice. I know logis or pension or other authorised pension have prices(usually)affixed to the back of the bedroom door detailing authorised prices in said season(sometimes they may be 'negotiable,' depending upon the establishment). Booking: My wife and I now carry a 'tablet':is it 'safe' and practical(read,easy)to book into,say,some chain hotel by this? And,is it safe putting in all credit card details etc? We're always a little nervous about booking this way(for some reason feeling better secured booking using the computer at home).

Thanks for any advice.


Probably safer than ATM's - not had my details stolen on't web but have from ATM! One advantage of using a booking site is that you only give the details to one place and not to every tom, richard and harriet! The booking sites will also have contact details for the establishments so you could ring them directly and try to negotiate a deal.
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Stradageek
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Joined: 17 Jan 2011, 1:07pm

Re: accommodation

Post by Stradageek »

Sympathise with your problems, have found B&B's both expensive and reluctant to accept one night stop overs, especially on the weekend.

Despite our advancing years we've decided to rekindle our youth and are investing in a lightweight tent and warm sleeping bags instead.
PaulSB
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Joined: 23 Mar 2010, 8:50pm

accommodation

Post by PaulSB »

I have to say in answer to your question "or have I got it wrong?" yes you have.

I travel a lot for work and can't think of a hotel chain offering the almost 50% discount you suggest is available the night before. It's true Travelodge and to a lesser extent Premierinn offer some very cheap deals but this is weeks ahead and in places few people want to to be!!

Laterooms.com do have some good deals but often only on the day and it can take ages to find the deal. This site and booking.com increasingly offer a "deal" which is nothing more than the hotel's standard rate. These, and other sites, have become places to advertise and gather information rather than offering a true "deal."

My thoughts would be to look for value for money, visit or contact the local tourist information centre and work from that advice. Value for money is often a better guide than price.

Summer 2014 I rode across France stopping wherever. I didn't make a close record but a decent B&B was in the region of €60/70 which is not far off the prices available in the UK. You mentioned turning up in a city, I feel you will always pay more in an urban location and often for lesser quality.

Clearly it depends on the standard you want but for me B&B to a decent level is going to start around £50 if you're lucky. When I'm working I expect to pay £65/70, at least, for the standard I require.

I suspect your expectations are high, or low in price terms.
Vorpal
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Re: accommodation

Post by Vorpal »

During off season, I've gotten the best prices on short notice by just turning up at independent B&B type places and negotiating a room for the night. A couple of times, I stopped at several places that were full up, and ended up taking whatever I could get at whatever people wanted to charge me, but mostly it has worked well. Brits seem less likely to negotiate on price, but I wouldn't say it's a rip off.


Local tourist information can be variable. Some places they are quite good and helpful. Other places, not so much.
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tyreon
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Joined: 4 Oct 2012, 4:39pm

Re: accommodation

Post by tyreon »

I don't think I can disagree with any of the above comments,tho the survey isn't comprehensive!!

I'd rather camp than use bricked accommodation,but age and increasing disabilities limit my zzzzzz's and flexibility.

I also walk National Trails but begrudge turning up KO'd at hotels or 5* joints to just sleep 9hrs then get up and say goodbye. Above £90pn I expect to sit-in-the-lounge,relax for a while: 'reasoned' or mean?

I've found accommodation throughout Europe less expensive than Britain(sometimes substantially so),and with a better variety.


The 'homogenised' hotel chains I find particularly dreadful,but for any reasonable price offered. The McDs of hotel networks. Still,you know what you get...everywhere!So much so that you don't know where you are. To be fair,the local accommodation can vary from 'tired' to excellent...a throw o the dice that can be disappointing to sublime.

For my touring my ideal(accommodation) is clean but basic. Contrary to one commentator, my wife and I have experienced demands for £90pn whereas booked 24hrs earlier,£40! A UK experience.
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foxyrider
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Re: accommodation

Post by foxyrider »

Costs can vary considerably and not neccesarily in line with what you get!

A couple of years ago I did a two week German trip using hotels / b+b's and prices went from €24 (beautiful room in a renovated 13th century Schloss guest house including breakfast) to €89 (at the Ibis in Wurzburg plus breakfast!) but the majority were in the €35 to €45 range. I like to book in advance so I know that I have a bed and where I'm heading for whether it be campsite or hotel, wasting time out of my day searching for accommodation would not make me very happy! I did use that approach on a tour in the UK and ended up on 1 campsite with basic facilities and miles from any eateries/pubs, another some ten miles off route and the last bed at a hotel off Hadrian's Wall which if I'd missed would've meant a dreary evening trying to find an alternative in the cold and rain of a Pennine summer!

Touring solo obviously increases the pp/pn cost but in most instances I've managed to get a bed for under €50, that room on Hadrian's Wall cost me under £40 with breakfast but other times you just have to bite the bullet, Aalen last year I took the cheapest option I could find which was another €89 Ibis job! Accommodation is always the biggest single cost on my trips and by booking in advance I can budget accordingly.
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Ben@Forest
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Re: accommodation

Post by Ben@Forest »

tyreon wrote:For example,I arrive in X city(in the UK) to book into a chain hotel complex and they seem to charge top-dollar,whereas if I had pre-booked it even a day earlier I would have paid £40pn instead of the £70 they want to charge me. Have I got this wrong,or what?



It doesn't have to be a day earlier. You can stand outside a hotel and use a smartphone to book a room and it can (but not always) be cheaper than walking into the foyer and asking. A couple of years ago (in Belgium) and by booking online 500 yards from the hotel the price of the room was 30% of what the tariff board listed.
whoof
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Re: accommodation

Post by whoof »

The main problem I have is what to do with my bike. In France I I turn up at a hotel and ask if they have somewhere safe to park my bike the answer is always 'of course the garage, cellar, office, your room....'
In the UK it's as if I just asked where I can keep my ox for the night. 'There might be some racks in the street around the corner, perhaps in the garden or could I not put it in my car?'. I know there are lists of cycle friendly B and Bs but the point is in France I don't need a list as they are all cycle friendly.
Guess what, this summer another two weeks cycle touring in France.
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foxyrider
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Re: accommodation

Post by foxyrider »

whoof wrote:The main problem I have is what to do with my bike. In France I I turn up at a hotel and ask if they have somewhere safe to park my bike the answer is always 'of course the garage, cellar, office, your room....'
In the UK it's as if I just asked where I can keep my ox for the night. 'There might be some racks in the street around the corner, perhaps in the garden or could I not put it in my car?'. I know there are lists of cycle friendly B and Bs but the point is in France I don't need a list as they are all cycle friendly.
Guess what, this summer another two weeks cycle touring in France.


Have to say that in my experience most accomodation have been helpful in providing secure bike parking, i think only once have i had to park the bike on the street and that was in Celle in northern Germany. Otherwise its lived in cleaning cupboards, cellars, garages, my room, conference rooms, back corridors.............Guess its always worth asking if there are facilities when you book.
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
whoof
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Re: accommodation

Post by whoof »

foxyrider wrote:
whoof wrote:Guess its always worth asking if there are facilities when you book.



I always check before I book it's just that there is no need in France I just turn up. Last year I was going to book with a hostel in Wales which advertised secure bike parking but when I asked on the phone this turned out to be their back yard. I had to contact three places in the Isle of White before finding somewhere for this February.
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bigjim
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Re: accommodation

Post by bigjim »

I think in the OPs case it's not so bad as he is sharing and you have to divide by two even thought it is his beloved and he may be picking up the tab. Touring solo it cost's a fortune! Accommodation is my biggest problem when touring alone. I have often had to pay too much because there is nothing else and it's getting late. I take emergency camping gear with me and I do have to use it. I agree about paying a fortune just to lay my head down for a few hours.
In October there were two of us touring Portugal. My touring partner had the latest I phone with a Booking.Com App. We booked hotels as we sat in the town square and then just wandered in ten minutes later. We often secured good rooms with breakfast for about £30 for two. It was so easy. I'm on a humble old Blackberry phone that is useless for this type of thing. I'm currently trying to find a pay as you go phone that I can use to duplicate this for reasonable money as normally nobody texts or rings me. :(
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