Have stayed in this Travelodge several times, and my title says it all when I say it has been better.

My husband, myself and our two children went for a one night stay at the end of December to visit family before the new year. Upon arrival at five past three, I was kept waiting 20 minutes whilst two others checked in in front of me. I have never waited so long before. Perhaps it was because there were two other members of staff going off duty (not before having a fag first) at check in time. I work in a hotel myself and have done for years and this is not a practice I have encoutered before. There is a new parking system of a sort put in place since the last time we were here whereby you have to have a permit for your car, presumably because the carpark is shared with a Frankie and Benny's and a Tesco Express. This was not a problem as there was a sign clearly displayed at reception. However, how silly that the 'permit' is no more than a printed scrap of paper the size of a small matchbox. As soon as we opened the car doors to go to see family it was blown off the dashboard and we lost it!

The room itself was standard or Travelodges. I usually have to ask for more towels and pillows, not sure why when they know how many people are coming. his time they provided only two hand towels and bath towels and three pillows for 4 people! I went to reception and the girl there whilst helpful in getting me more told me I could only have one more pillow as they had run out. I suppose this is down to the busy time of year. Instead we had an extra quilt to put under mine and my husbands pillows.

Another standard thing with travelodges seems to be that you have to make up the sofa bed yourself. This I don't mind so much (even though again they know how many are coming!) except this time when I went to do it and I lifted the long back cushion off the couch I was confronted with what can only be described as a big patch of crusty muck. It was stuck to the underside of the cushion and then I noticed some on the arm of the couch as well. I'm obviously not paying this hotel for their ability to give out the right number of towels and pillows, or to make up sofa beds and it would seem some of the cleanliness has gone out of the window as well. I'm not a clean freak and in all fairness the rest of the room was fine (even if the dusting left a bit to be desired), but is it so difficult to check sofa cushions these days? In some ways I hope they didn't look at it, rather than them looking and then ignoring it.

To be fair to the hotel staff I did not say anything at the time as we were all very tired, but then again there wasn't the opportunity to say anything on departure the next morning as reception was deserted.

Even given what happened this time I would stay here again, just making to check more thoroughly. Travelodges are basic but do represent good value for money, and this one certainly has an excellent location for us when we come to visit.