Monday 14 August 2017

Travelodge Manchester Birch M62 Westbound review

When I was a child my mum would take my sister and I on short breaks to explore various locations across the UK. We’d often borrow my grandparents caravan, hitch it up to the car and off we went on adventures. When we could not or did not want to use the caravan she would book for us to stay at Travelodge. We were a Travelodge holidaying family. Staying at Travelodge was ideal for us as it was cheap, had the basic necessities we needed and was a comfortable place for us to lay our head and get a good night’s sleep after a day exploring whatever location we had rocked up at.

Now a parent myself and the other side of 30 I have not stayed at a Travelodge for about 15-20 years since my childhood. 

A couple of weeks ago we were off on our yearly visit to see family in Leeds. With the days in Leeds being busy with visits to family members which can be a tad tiring and boring for the kids we decided to have a little fun on the way to Leeds. “Drum roll” for a last minute visit to Chester to PLAY! at Chester Zoo and bounce at Flip Out! Chester before staying in Manchester for 2 nights so we could visit Legoland Discovery and SeaLife. 

Travelodge kindly invited us to stay at the Travelodge Manchester Birch M62 Westbound Hotel for 2 nights to allow us to have lots of fun and adventures during our brief last minute funtastic holiday on route to Leeds.

Following the directions mentioned on the Travelodge webpage for the hotel location we easily found our way to the Hotel. A few days before our stay the hotel contacted us by email to inform us of road closures happening in and around the hotel during late night hours and provided us with alternative directions however as we arrived back at the hotel before the closures started of a night we did not need them. The gesture of providing alternative directions in case the road closures affected us was a great sign of good customer service.

After a busy day have a playtastic and animal mad time at Chester Zoo then having a boisterious bouncing and flippin’ fun time at Flip Out! Chester we arrived at the hotel at around 8.30pm. With such an action packed day at Chester then the travel to Manchester we had worried about how late we would arrive to check in to the hotel but thankfully if we had arrived late the reception is open 24 hours and guests can check in late.


With the hotel being located at the motorway services there was ample parking and we were able to park directly outside of the hotel. As the parking is part of the services car parking which is free for a set amount of hours then chargeable to ensure the car parking was free for the duration of our stay and we weren’t at risk of receiving a fine through our letterbox when back home from our holiday we had to input our car registration into a computer at reception. 

When checking in I was greeted by a friendly and welcoming member of the hotel team who swiftly checked is in and corrected the slight error that there were 2 adults rather than 1 adult plus the children that was on the system. He ensured we booked our car into the system for free parking as above and passed on key hotel information. He already had 3 box breakfasts prepared for our arrival for us to have ready for the morning and with the new information that we were actually 4 guests he said he would get another box for us.

With our key in hand (only 1 key was provided which whilst no issue for us as we were sharing a car and not going anywhere apart if we had been located in a city centre we might have separated for different activities and need a key each) I popped back to the car to get some of our luggage and the sleeping children. As we re-entered the hotel the team member offered to help with the luggage and brought the breakfast boxes (in the time I was outside he had swiftly got the extra box) direct to our room.

Located on the first floor and only 2 down from the reception our room was close to the entrance. With lots of luggage (with kids in tow I pack a lot heavier than my singleton days where I could pack light) the short walk from the car park to a room on the first floor and a short distance from reception was a relief.

The room overlooked the car park which isn’t the greatest of views however considering the hotel is located at motorway services this is to be expected and the convenient location of the hotel makes up for the lack of good views.


After a long and tiring day the room was a heavenly sight. Welcoming us in the room was a large king size bed and 2 single beds either side. The 4 plump pillows and 10.5 tog duvet adorning the king size bed was calling to me. The king size Travelodge Dreamer Bed™ was designed exclusively by Sleepeezee to provide a luxurious night’s sleep and boasts features of over 950 individual pocketed springs, extra comfort layer, hypo-allergenic fillings and medium/firm support.


The room was immaculately clean and well kept. Whilst the room was basic it featured all the vital facilities need for a few nights stay. 

A bathroom with bath and overhead shower, set of fresh white towels (more available from reception if needed), antibacterial foaming hand wash, hair & body wash and shaver socket. The bathroom was modern in style and sparkling clean. Whilst not the biggest bathroom in the world was more than ample for our needs. Whilst we had packed toiletries it was handy to have products available at the hotel.


The bath was a great size for the boys to have a quick bath before bed on the 2nd night (on our 1st night Jelly Bean was out for the count in the car and did not wake when carrying him into the hotel and putting him to bed - that’s what all the bouncing at Flip Out! will do). The shower was powerful with good waterflow. There were plenty of handrails for safety.


A sturdy, spacious desk and 2 tub chairs. Tea and coffee making facilities including kettle and a few pots of milk, packaged tea bags and coffee along with packets of sugar and sweeteners. With Lee a big coffee drinker these facilities were a lifesaver! Safely secured to the desk there was a modern TV that included Freeview service. Whilst our time at the hotel was limited as we were cramming as much into our days out and about having adventures it was handy to switch on the TV and put the kids channel on when the kids were up at the crack of dawn and raring to go!


With no air conditioning in the room the room had a fan available to use along with a card detailing a few tips on how to keep the room cool and comfortable during warm weather. Thankfully during our stay it was not too warm as I think on a very hot day the fan would not be enough to cool down the room and air con would be longed for. 


Other facilities available on request include a hair dryer and cot.

The hotel provides 30 minutes free WiFi or you can pay to upgrade the WiFi service at £3 for 24 hours. As we were all shattered on the 1st night we did not really bother with the WiFi but decided to upgrade on the 2nd night as 30 minutes free is really not that long at all. We had a little issue connecting but a quick call to the WiFi provider and it was resolved and we were connected. The upgraded service WiFi had good signal strength, was quick and allowed us to watch a few catch-up services with no issues. The only downside is that it is limited to 2 devices, any additional devices have to pay an additional £3 for 2 more devices for 24 hours. Whilst it was not a big issue for us as the kids were so tired they were asleep as soon as they had their bath, if we had been a family with older children or been 3 adults we might have wanted more than 2 devices to connect to the WiFi. 

The room also had wardrobe space if we had wanted to unpack but with it being a brief stay we lived out of our bags and Trunki’s. Either side of the main bed were small shelves which was handy for placing a drink and for Lee’s morning coffee. I only wish that there were power sockets next to the bed for convenient charging of mobiles. However there were ample sockets along the desk where we could charge all of our devices.


After our 1st night’s stay whilst out in Manchester experiencing Legoland Discovery and SeaLife our room was serviced. Providing great service they refilled products such as toilet roll and tea/coffee making facilities and gave the room a quick tidy up with the beds remade and bins emptied. 

As mentioned above we had breakfast boxes to try. Whilst the hotel is located next to the shops and restaurants in the service station as the hotel itself does not have a restaurant and bar Travelodge offer a breakfast box. New to Travelodge for a charge (currently £5.25) they provide Good Morning Breakfast To Go boxes that include a carton of orange juice, a carton of milk, a sealed pot of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and a muffin. I enjoyed the Good Morning Breakfast, it was quick and convenient to have a nutritious and tasty breakfast in the room before our adventures started. The only downside to the boxes is that whilst the kids love muffins and cereal they were not keen on the muffin (we had orange and cranberry) or cereal provided. As such it would be great to have a kids Breakfast Box option with a cereal more appealing to kids and a more traditional muffin flavour such as blueberry.


One of the benefits of the hotel location is that there were a number of shops and restaurants available open 24 hours in the neighbouring Moto services. Not only could we get food and drink within close walking distance but as a guest of Travelodge we also enjoyed 20% off selected food and drink in participating shops and restaurants which was an added money saving bonus. When we checked in we were informed of which stores offered the discount when we showed our Travelodge key card.

With plans of exploring Manchester and visiting the Trafford Centre the hotel was in a great location and only 8 miles away from the Trafford Centre. The location of the hotel suited our needs really well and an ideal stopover hotel for us when visiting Manchester on route to visit family in Leeds.

All of us slept really well. We were not disturbed from any noise within the hotel or outside which I was delightfully surprised about as I had expected the noise of a service station to be a little disruptive to my sleep at least as I am a light sleeper.

The bed was comfy and we all had a great night’s sleep. With our bed at home long overdue a change and having had 2 blissful night’s sleep at Travelodge on the sumptuous king size bed Lee is keen to look into get one of our very own.


We had a great stay at Travelodge. The room was spacious with ample room for all 4 of us without feeling cramped or on top of each other. It had all the facilities we needed and more, it was immaculately clean, was family friendly, affordable and the staff were helpful and friendly.

We had a great time staying at Travelodge and would highly recommend the Travelodge Manchester Birch M62 Westbound Hotel. 

Travelodge hotels vary in price depending on location and date. The beauty of Travelodge is that they offer flexible and saver rates, with prices often being cheaper the earlier you book. Another bonus of Travelodge hotels are that there are so many of them across the UK there is one to meet anyone and everyone’s holiday and work travel needs.

As we had a great stay and the hotel was very family friendly we are looking at staying with Travelodge on future staycations. This stay at Travelodge has evoked memories of my childhood holidays spent staying in various Travelodge hotels and has started new memories of holidaying with my own little family. We are planning a holiday in Blackpool next and after such a successful stay with Travelodge we will most definitely be looking at staying at 1 of their hotels in Blackpool….mostly so that Lee can enjoy the comfy and luxurious king size bed once more!

5 comments:

  1. I must admit We've never stayed at Travelodge before i like the look of the breakfast boxes that you had.

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  2. Looks like you had a lovely stay. :) x

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  3. I have always been impressed with the size of the family rooms at Travelodges, plenty of space :)

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  4. It looks great and very spacious. I love the idea of a breakfast box x

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  5. We recently stayed in a Travelodge before we flew to Copenhagen and were pleasantly surprised. We usually stay with Premier Inn in those sorts of circumstances but the family room at the Travelodge was great and just what we needed :) Great review!x

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