How to beat the hidden hotel charge that can add loads to a budget break
When you want somewhere cheap and cheerful to chill out after a big day trip, the last thing you need is a hidden hotel charge that unbalances your holiday budget.
I’ve saved myself loads of time and money when booking Premier Inns near theme parks and family attractions, just by making sure I only ever book hotels where free parking is included.
We often use Premier Inn when staying overnight near a big attraction that’s far from home, because I find they are often the best value for money for a large family.
But the hidden parking charges means that you could end up paying an extra £10 per night onto your break, something that you won’t always notice when booking.
I always make sure to look at the parking information under each hotel listing and find out if there’s a free car park onsite before you book.
My friend and I did just that last year when we visited the Warner Bros Harry Potter studios near London for a weekend away.
The Watford North hotel nearest to the attraction was slightly cheaper on the date we were visiting but parking there costs £3 a night.
That would have made the stay more expensive than booking Kings Langley Premier Inn, which has free parking and is only about a mile further away from the studios.
I’ve also saved money when visiting Legoland, as a couple of the nearby Slough Premier Inns have chargeable parking that can add more than a tenner to the cost of each night.
But there’s one that’s on an industrial estate with free car park attached and better facilities – it’s a mile or two further away, but that makes no difference if you’re travelling by car.
The sites with free parking are usually on the outskirts, so they’re often easier to drive to and quieter overnight, as a result of being out of town.
Having a car park at the hotel itself means you also save time by not needing to find nearby public parking and then carry all your bags back to wherever you’re staying.
If you’re travelling with little ones and therefore a lot of baggage too, having your car nearby can be a real godsend.
The Premier Inn website lists more than 500 of its sites which have free parking, but what would be brilliant would be an icon on each hotel’s page that made it obvious at a glance whether parking is available and if it’s paid-for.
Being able to use that as a criteria to filter the available options would also save time, as at the moment, I have to click through to compare the all-important parking info for different hotels.
It takes a bit of time at the booking stage, but checking out the parking situation before you make a decision about where to stay has always paid off for me.
It’s bad enough having a parking charge at visitor attractions that you’re already paying to enter, never mind forking out even more once you arrive at your hotel after a day out.
Money saving tips when staying at a hotel
- Hotels will often present guests with free flowers or a bottle of sparking wine if it’s your birthday or anniversary, so don’t be shy about letting them know if you’re celebrating.
- Holidaymakers can often get even better rates or perks – like free breakfasts or champagne on arrival – by booking directly instead of through large booking sites.
- If you can be flexible about when you’re staying, opt for a Sunday or Monday night as those days of the week often have cheaper rates.
- Sign up to free loyalty schemes with hotel chains and booking websites to save money when booking trips away.
- Supermarket reward schemes such as Tesco Clubcard and Nectar also have partnerships with attractions and accommodation.