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Booking a hotel can feel like a daunting task, especially with the surge in prices, but there’s a simple Travelodge hack to get a bigger room without needing to fork out extra for an upgrade

Aside from choosing your room category when booking a hotel, you never quite know what room you’ll be given. However, I discovered a clever hack that can get you a bigger hotel room, and it costs just £3.50.

Booking a hotel for any occasion, whether that’s a city break with pals or a romantic weekend away, can be a daunting task, with a lengthy list of establishments to choose from. Yet, even when you’ve chosen your desired hotel, you then need to select your room category, although the price often determines which one we book (in an ideal world, we’d all book the premium suites if we could afford them).

However, what if I told you that you could get a bigger room when booking through Travelodge, without having to hope that the booking system gods have been kind? I found this out during a trip to London with my friends earlier this year.

We were spending the night after watching an evening show, so I found us a Travelodge in London, Central City Road, to book for the night. As there were three of us, I booked a triple family room – the most affordable option I could find for a Saturday night in the capital.

A few days before our stay, I discovered an option in my booking that allowed me to ‘choose my room’ before arrival. I was a little sceptical at first, but I’m so glad I investigated further.

For an additional £3.50, I found that I could choose the exact room my friends and I would stay in during our trip. In the name of research and curiosity, I paid the mere £3.50 and was taken to a site map of all the rooms available in my category, which allowed me to choose our room.

What surprised me was that, although the rooms shown were all in the specific category I had booked, a few were noticeably larger as shown on the floor plan. So naturally, I selected the biggest room available.

Even at this stage, I was questioning whether I’d get this room at check-in, considering I had paid less than £5 and it was noticeably larger than the others. So when I checked in on Saturday afternoon, I was delighted when they handed me the keys to the exact room I had chosen, and it was well worth the extra £3.50.

We were treated to a sprawling room with a double bed and two twin beds, despite never changing the room category. Plus, it gave us vital extra space when getting ready for a night out without having to fork out for a pricey upgrade.

This handy hack can be used at more than 575 Travelodge hotels, and it’s not just for extra space. You can select to ‘choose your room’ to ensure you’re staying near family or friends, have a specific view, ensure you have a top or ground floor room, or that you’re near a lift.

Not only can it provide an additional perk of a bigger room, as I found out, but it also avoids the uncertainty at check-in. However, it’s essential to note that using this hack is contingent upon the hotel’s availability and layout.

Some Travelodge hotels may not have a larger room available in the category that you’ve booked, but it’s certainly worth checking. Additionally, the price can vary by hotel, room type and length of stay, but it’s available for a selection of Travelodge room categories.

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My name is Jon Halperin. I booked and managed Chain Reaction from 2000 to 2006. It started by accident while I was running a one-person record label. I went to the club to see the band Melee perform and the prior talent buyer for the club had just quit that day. I told owner Tim Hill I’d do it (having only booked three shows ever at a coffee shop). We slept on it, and I was hired the next day.

I joined Ron Martinez (of Final Conflict). He was booking the punk and hardcore shows. I booked the indie, ska, emo, screamo and pop punk stuff. We made a great team. Best work-wife ever.

Story time. My friend Ikey Owens (RIP) hit me up and told me that he and the guys from At the Drive In were going to be starting a new band. I’d booked Defacto (their dub project) before, and we agreed to throw them on a show and just bill it as “Defacto.” There were maybe 200 people there to see the first show for a band that would soon be known as the Mars Volta.

That wasn’t out of the ordinary. Chain Reaction had many artists grace that stage that went on to bigger things: Death Cab for Cutie, Avenged Sevenfold, Maroon 5, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, Taking Back Sunday, Pierce the Veil, My Morning Jacket. The list goes on and on.

Jon Halperin, who booked Chain Reaction from 2000 to 2006, stands in front of the club during its heyday.

(From Jon Halperin)

I used to make a deal with the kids. Buy a ticket to “X” show, and if you didn’t like the band, I’d refund you. I never had to. I knew my audience and they trusted my curation of the room. … It was by the kids, for the kids, except I was 30 at the time. I had to think like a teenager. My friend Brian once called me “Peter Pan.”

Halfway through my reign, social media became a thing. There was Friendster and a bit later MySpace. YouTube stated just a few years after. But those first few years of me at the venue, it was word of mouth. It was paper fliers dropped off at coffee shops and record stores. It was the flier in the venue window. It was Mean Street Magazine and Skratch Magazine.

I’d tease the press when they wanted to review a show. If you don’t show up with a pen and paper, you aren’t getting in (sorry, Kelli).

Most music industry went to the Los Angeles show, but smart industry came to us. Countless acts got signed following their shows. You’d often see the band meeting with a label in the parking lot near their tour van.

It was a dry room when I was there. No booze or weed whatsoever. We made only one exception to the weed rule. An artist in a band with Crohn’s disease who traveled with a nurse. Not saying bands didn’t drink backstage, on stage, in their vans (we rarely had buses), but what we didn’t see didn’t happen.

Touche Amoré performing at Chain Reaction in 2010.

(Joe Calixto)

We were often referred to as the “CBGB’s of the West,” and for a lot of bands, locals and touring acts alike, we were just that. We were the epicenter. There were other venues of course, but for some reason, we were the venue to play. Showcase Theater in Corona was edging toward its demise. Koo’s Cafe in Santa Ana was done. Back Alley in Fullerton wasn’t active. Galaxy Theater [in Santa Ana] was still, well, the Galaxy. There was no House of Blues Anaheim. Bands would drive a thousand miles to play one show at Chain Reaction. We were where the local bands started as first of four on a bill and would be headlining us within a year. We were their jumping-off point. We were where the kids came out. The real fans, many of whom started bands themselves.

Thankfully, there are other smaller venues out there today fostering the all-ages scene: Programme Skate in Fullerton, the Locker Room at Garden AMP [in Garden Grove], Toxic Toast in Long Beach, the Haven Pomona, but it’s just not the same. It was a moment in time. A time that will be forgotten in a few decades, but for today, my social media is being inundated with memories of a room that was a second home for thousands of kids.

Zero regrets. It was the best and worst times of my life. Working a day gig and then heading to the venue nearly every day of the week was rough. Relationships and friendships were hard, being that I couldn’t go out at night. I couldn’t get a pet. I was constantly tired. But I wouldn’t trade those six years for the world.

RIP, Chain Reaction.

If you’re looking for a completely unique weekend away, there’s a hotel with colourful themed rooms and lots of fun surprises, and it’s set in the UK’s coolest city with plenty to do nearby.

While staying in a hotel for the weekend can be nice, one criticism you can level at them is that so many hotel rooms look the same. They may be comfy, but it’s easy to get bored of the same beige style you get in every hotel room.

However, whatever words you use to describe Hotel Pelirocco, “boring” is not one of them. This boutique hotel has 19 rooms, each one with a different theme, and each room is its own colourful little world.

Set on a quiet square in Brighton, the hotel is the perfect place to stay if you’re looking to enjoy the UK’s coolest city. Brighton recently beat competition from cities such as Edinburgh and Manchester to cinch the title, thanks to its independent shops, unique restaurants, and lively music scene.

The hotel is just a 15-minute stroll from the North Laines, famous for its colourful shops including vintage stores, bookshops, record shops, and quirky cafes. There’s also The Lanes area, which has a more historic vibe with narrow cobbled streets full of pretty jewellery stores and designer shops.

Historic Brighton Pier is also just a short walk away, with old-fashioned rides, amusements, and stalls. And of course, there’s the iconic Brighton Beach, a long stretch of shingle that has a promenade full of clubs and bars, and becomes a lively area for nightlife as the sun goes down.

Hotel Pelirocco is set inside two converted Regency townhouses, with its historic façade blending in with the other buildings in a pretty square. However, once you step inside, it’s a maximalist’s dream with colourful walls covered in vintage art and posters. Downstairs it has a bar that hosts live music and events, and opens until the small hours for guests returning from nights out.

However, it’s the rooms that the hotel has become famous for, and themes range from David Bowie to pin-up girls and local artists. The Mod-themed room is perfect for visitors to Brighton who are there to see the city’s filming locations for Quadrophenia, while Do Knit Disturb is a room dedicated to knitting and crochet, with accessories including a knitted telephone.

Brighton has long been a destination for couples’ weekends, and the hotel has a cheekier side to it too. The Botanica suite, for example, comes with a dancing pole and a mirrored ceiling, among other surprises, and there are rooms such as Taboo with more romantic vibes.

The hotel also offers a range of extras that are perfect for couples celebrating a special occasion, from Champagne to boudoir photography in your bedroom. And if you want to really surprise your other half, you can arrange for a hamper from independent store Lust!, which includes an array of toys for couples for a fun start to your break.

Find out more about the Hotel Pelirocco or book a room on their official website.

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