Hotel living

[Mr Speirs]

Another thing I forgot to mention that made one of my tours good was that If we were staying in a place for more than 2 nights the tour manager rented out an Apartment instead of a room. This ment for not much more money we got two bedrooms, a bathroom and a kitchen/lounge. It was great and we were able to cook our own meals etc.

Maybe thats something you could look at.

[Red Herring]

I was going to suggest a B&B. I'd have thought if you found a small family run one they're be more likely to accommodate any personal needs, like what you have for breakfast and a corner of the garage for you to keep the SV in.... that way you don't need to wait a week to ride your bike.

[keith_d]

I did a lot of living in hotels on expenses for a previous job. Got pretty tired of it, as well as putting on loads of weight. Ended up with a reputation as the office restaurant critic because I never ate in the same place twice.

So my suggestions are:

* Find a hotel with a decent internet connection and Skype home

* Find a hotel with a gym and use it before dinner every night

* Only eat in the hotel when you absolutely have to

* Hotel TV is crap, so budget for plenty of books and magazines.

* If you're away for a long stay, consider leaving your luggage at the hotel and bringing the bike up for a week

* Some hotels have a loyalty scheme, we had several free weekends in other hotels in the chain after one of my longer trips.

* Use the hotel laundry occasionally so you can go home and have a weekend with the SWMBO that isn't spent doing washing

Just my thoughts,

Keith.

[Supervox]

Admittedly it was 20 years ago now but I spent the best part of 3 yrs living in hotels all around Europe - with a few exceptions it was generally a different hotel each night !!

Upside
I was doing a job I loved

Rarely having to unpack - just living out of the suitcases

Seeing a lot of different places

Meeting a lot of different people (I was single then btw)

Staying in some very nice hotels (generally only the once in each though - for reasons I won't go into here !!)

Downside
Travelling every day - sometimes just a couple of hours in which case we didn't need to leave until late-morning; sometimes 6-8 hrs when it meant leaving at 5-6am

Staying in some really bad hotels - unfortunately these outnumbered the really good ones

Not seeing family or friends for months on end

Very large phone bills !!

I didn't mind eating by myself.

Take a bike mag, or paper or something with me.

That way, your not looking at all the people staring at that "weirdo on his own" so not phased by it. Its when you've got nothing, and you end up looking around, going through your phone, pics, messages, videos, then look around a bit more etc.....

I am in a hotel that has a large bedroom/suite for me to use so I'm not stretched out on the bed all the time.
I have an internet dongle so browsing isnt a problem (hotel wanted 9 quid a night for the net!).
I have managed to actually lose weight since working away (down from 12 stone 8 to 11 stone 12).

I dont really mind eating on my own and have tried most of the restaraunts in the area as the hotel is generally more expensive (pub next door has a carvery for £3.50!)

[anna]

Originally Posted by Mr Speirs

Ah I hate hotels. Mainly because on tour if the Tour Manager is a complete scrooge you get put in some right dives!!! But then sometimes you get put up in nice hotels but they are still rubbish rooms. Saying that I have stayed in some proper nice ones but a hotel room is a bed, shower and TV it just depends if the bed is comfy, the shower is clean and if the TV is a 13" CRT or 40" Plasma.

This is better then been handed a digs list and told to sort it out yourself, and still try to come under you contract budget!

To be honest whilst on tour I dont think I actually ever spent more then 8 hours at a time in the digs or hotel and was too bleary eye´d to notice the surroundings whilst I was there.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Mr Speirs

The best value hotel I stayed in was a chain called The Village hotels. They were £80 a night for 2 people, free internet, breakfast, evening meal up to the value of £18pp!!! and access to the gym and spa facilities.

Yep, we like the Village Hotel chain because of the free internet & generally good TV's in the rooms. But the Maidstone one is noisy, depending on the room.

Best one was the Ramada Docklands where we got the penthouse suite, which had a seperate living room, with a sofa and small kitchen. Better than eating room service on the bed. Only stayed one night though

Radisson Liverpool is nice too, free internet & nice rooms

that bar will be your salvation mate after a while you'll be another local you'll know the staff by name (someone to break the bordom) and iirc your not a shy person which helps my favorite trick (as you know i moved around quite a bit) was walking into the nearest pub when its was quite and introducing my self to the bar staff as there new best local genrally got a giggle and started a conversation from then on you are made to fell welcome every time you come in ( to the point my "usual" was on the bar 30 secs before i walked in at the end of a day)

Alan Partridge?