Tintin Forums

Does the institution of the motel or, better yet, 'cheap motel' exist in England?

I'm going to be coming to Nottingham in late October/early November for about a week, and while I'll probably be staying on the floor of my cousin's dorm-room, there's an outside chance that my lady-friend will be accompanying me, and we won't fit too easily.

So, right, is there such a thing as cheap accommodation in the most expensive country on earth? (And if any of you know Nottingham itself, that'd be even better!)

Thanks for anything!

-J21

I know Nottingham really well as my family is from there, loads to see and do there.

Not exactly sure where you are from, or what you would decribe as cheap. But we have many chain hotels, Holiday Inn, Forte, Holiday Express, Hilton, Best Western, etc.

A room would probably set you back around £60 minimum per night though, depending on where abouts in Nottm you want to stay. Not sure if you'd consider that cheap. You might get around £40 a night if you stay outside the city on a motorway or something

Go see Nottingham Forest play!

Rik

PS. I thought Monaco was the most expensive country on earth

First off, thanks for the reply, Rik!

The chains you list are already out of my price range, as a starving student. :) I come from Vancouver (currently trapped out east in Toronto though), but pretty much all over North America, the cheap motel is a mainstay in any locale you can name... i.e. something for U.S.$15-$40 a night, where you drive right up to your room... no corridors, no elevators, no lobby beyond the check-in desk.

They usually have a tacky name (like "Paradise Inn" or something), a tacky sign, and look something like this:

[link no longer working]

It's an eminently North American concept, which is why I phrased my question so doubtfully. :)

So do I have any chance of finding such an animal in the Old Country? And is it at all possible to get tickets to see Nottingham Forest, or do you have to know people?

Oh, and I'm sure you're right about Monaco, I was mostly being melodramatic... I've even lived in Switzerland, which is probably marginally more expensive than the U.K. Although London in particular is the most expensive city on earth, at least right now...

Thanks!

-J21

J21, check out the Travelodge website, http://www.travelodge.co.uk
They are a bit like motels and you can get a room for £25 if you book online well in advance. There are two near Nottingham.

I think Big Ren is right, that's about a cheap a hotel you are going to get.

You shouldn't have much trouble getting tickets for Nottingham Forest, you can just walk up to the ticket office before the match starts

Rik

Get your cousin to ask at the University accommodation office or at the adminstration for his halls of residence (“dorm”) - you can often get an empty room for a bargain price.

Or why not try the Nottingham City accommodation finder? Don’t know if it’s any good - I just found it by searching Google, but it does have a “find by price” option.

You could try a Bed and Breakfast place. They're pretty cheap (in price, that is).

You shouldn't have too much trouble getting tickets to see Forest play though. Only true fans are brave enough to endure their performances these days!

I doubt you would find anything in Nottingham resembling your picture Jyrki21!

I'll second what OJG said - a cheap B & B (bed and breakfast) is the Brit equivalent of a cheap motel. How about a youth hostel?

...and whilst taking in a game you can pay your respects to Brian Clough, ex-Nottingham Forest manager and former towering figure in English football who died earlier this week.

Yes ask at the University, they often have guest rooms set aside for friends/relatives of students.

Lancaster University ones were about £20 a night.

Rik

Thanks for the input all! Sounds like, whether or not the girlfriend accompanies me, we'll be staying in his room... he's kindly agreed to surrender his bed to us if we both visit (otherwise I'm on the floor!)

I don't follow English football with any regularity (I've officially dubbed myself a Tottenham fan, but I couldn't name a single player), so I didn't realize that Nottingham Forest had been demoted! Oh well...

Thanks again, all!