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The cheapest IC chain property I've (n)ever stayed at
I have four IC chain hotel stays during March booked (including a mini-run of three different hotels at LHR on three consecutive nights), but wanted to add a fifth to qualify for a 10k points bonus - okay, 10k points isn't the be-all and end-all, but the 2k KF miles they translate into (or 2 x pointbreaks stays) are pretty useful to me right now, plus the leg up towards Plat requalification for 2009 couldn't be ignored, so I went in search of a cheap room to notch up a fifth stay!
Luckily enough, the cheapest HI rate I could find (in fact, the lowest possible UK HI rate at only £39) was only 4.13 miles from my house. The way the maths pans out (with this stay being the lynchpin) was that this £39 rate will earn me an impressive 12,700 PriorityClub points (these same points would cost the best part of US$130 or ~£65 if I purchased from PC), so I decided to book a room for tonight
mrs nickbot thought I was a little mad (perhaps I am!) when I told her of my plans, especially when we agreed that staying at the hotel wasn't really convenient tonight, but was soon "kind of" convinced (or simply humouring me!) Despite this, we drove the 4.13 miles over to the hotel and checked in at 3pm today; sat and watched TV for an hour with a cup of tea and then left to go home. We'll drive over tomorrow morning on our way to the supermarket and check out!
The dialogue at checkin made us smile
Reception: "Will you require a wake up call or newspaper?"
Me: "No, thank you"
Reception: "Will you require breakfast?"
Me: "No, thank you"
Reception: "Will you require a table in the restaurant tonight?"
Me: "No, thank you"
Reception: "Enjoy your stay"
Me: "Thank you, we will"
Anyhow, despite the less than salubrious location (right near the M1 motorway), and looking a little jaded from the outside shot on the PC website:
...the foyer and general check-in experience gave a good impression to the property, and the room, whilst pretty bog-standard for HI properties, was clean and looked to be relatively recently refurbished:
...the view from the room was less than inspiring, but HI PhiPhi this aint
I suppose this hotel serves a purpose (probably more of a motorway overnighter or conference venue), but in terms of location it's not really practical for visiting Nottingham, as it's roughly an 8 mile drive to the city centre. The fact that £39 rooms were still available at midday on Saturday for the same night indicates that they're perhaps stuggling for weekend visitors, and this was confirmed by the observation that the carpark was pretty much empty and we didn't see any other guests during our walks through communal areas.
Anyhow, a fairly random mattress run report, and perhaps an illustration of how one can get a little points crazy at times, hope this brings a smile to your faces and hope you all have a pleasant weekend
Luckily enough, the cheapest HI rate I could find (in fact, the lowest possible UK HI rate at only £39) was only 4.13 miles from my house. The way the maths pans out (with this stay being the lynchpin) was that this £39 rate will earn me an impressive 12,700 PriorityClub points (these same points would cost the best part of US$130 or ~£65 if I purchased from PC), so I decided to book a room for tonight
mrs nickbot thought I was a little mad (perhaps I am!) when I told her of my plans, especially when we agreed that staying at the hotel wasn't really convenient tonight, but was soon "kind of" convinced (or simply humouring me!) Despite this, we drove the 4.13 miles over to the hotel and checked in at 3pm today; sat and watched TV for an hour with a cup of tea and then left to go home. We'll drive over tomorrow morning on our way to the supermarket and check out!
The dialogue at checkin made us smile
Reception: "Will you require a wake up call or newspaper?"
Me: "No, thank you"
Reception: "Will you require breakfast?"
Me: "No, thank you"
Reception: "Will you require a table in the restaurant tonight?"
Me: "No, thank you"
Reception: "Enjoy your stay"
Me: "Thank you, we will"
Anyhow, despite the less than salubrious location (right near the M1 motorway), and looking a little jaded from the outside shot on the PC website:
...the foyer and general check-in experience gave a good impression to the property, and the room, whilst pretty bog-standard for HI properties, was clean and looked to be relatively recently refurbished:
...the view from the room was less than inspiring, but HI PhiPhi this aint
I suppose this hotel serves a purpose (probably more of a motorway overnighter or conference venue), but in terms of location it's not really practical for visiting Nottingham, as it's roughly an 8 mile drive to the city centre. The fact that £39 rooms were still available at midday on Saturday for the same night indicates that they're perhaps stuggling for weekend visitors, and this was confirmed by the observation that the carpark was pretty much empty and we didn't see any other guests during our walks through communal areas.
Anyhow, a fairly random mattress run report, and perhaps an illustration of how one can get a little points crazy at times, hope this brings a smile to your faces and hope you all have a pleasant weekend
I agree, a night in a hotel can be a nice break even if it's close to home; with a little more thought we could have stayed in Birmingham (sorry MANFlyer 
to cawhite for calling my attention to the T1 option, but 
to Sir I for getting me addicted in the first place.)
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