After my batch of reviews about the Premier Inn food deals, it only felt right to keep wandering through the deals and see what other hotels have to offer. Next up is Travelodge, which sits slightly more on the budget side than Premier Inn, so I was intrigued to see what they had on offer.
Rather than just look at the breakfast deal on its own, I thought I’d also compare the full cost of a night’s stay plus breakfast against going with Premier Inn instead. For the comparison I’ve used two bookings: one adult travelling solo, and 2 adults plus 2 children, both staying on 1 October in Edinburgh.
The Travelodge breakfast offer
First up, what’s the breakfast deal itself. An adult all you can eat breakfast normally costs £9.99, and a kids breakfast is usually £8.95, though Travelodge’s own site lists it as £1 per child. When I costed this at Edinburgh Lauriston Place it came up as free, which I think was a summer deal rather than the standard year round price, so it’s worth double checking whichever figure applies when you actually book.
| Normal price | What you’re actually paying | |
|---|---|---|
| Two adults | £19.98 (£9.99 x 2) | £19.98 |
| Two kids | £17.90 (£8.95 x 2) | £0 to £2, depending on the deal running at the time |
That’s a saving of somewhere between £15.90 and £17.90 on the kids breakfast, which sounds generous. But it’s worth noting that these kids eat free style deals seem to run pretty much constantly, so for me it’s one of those offers that gradually becomes more “expected” than it feels like a genuine one off saving.
As for what you actually get, it’s a proper spread. Unlimited breakfast is unlimited, so you can set yourself up for a full day of exploring wherever you are, possibly with a hint of heartburn if you’re anything like me. It includes a good range of cooked items, eggs and sausages alongside pastries, and unlimited Lavazza coffee if you fancy a latte or cappuccino to get going.
There’s also a breakfast to go option at £6.95 a person for anyone in more of a rush: cornflakes and milk, a pain au chocolat, an oaty flapjack bar, and an iced coffee, with the milk swappable if you ask at reception. Not something I’d choose myself, but a sensible option if you’re trying to get on the road quickly.
Kids and adult meal deals: the bit I couldn’t fully pin down
I also wanted to look at the Little Lodgers kids menu, which I’ve seen advertised around £7.95, and an adult meal deal referenced at £14.75. Here’s where I’ll be honest with you: the pricing on both seems to vary by location and possibly by the exact menu on offer, and I couldn’t get a solid, consistent figure for either. Rather than guess, I’m going to own that gap and turn it into an excuse for a proper stay somewhere new to test it properly for a future piece. Not a bad challenge to set myself.
Comparing the full cost of a stay: Travelodge vs Premier Inn
For a fair comparison I picked two hotels near each other in Edinburgh, Travelodge Edinburgh Lauriston Place and Premier Inn Edinburgh City Centre Royal Mile, both booked for 1 October, choosing the cheapest available room at each and prioritising price over flexibility.
| Travelodge | Premier Inn | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 adult, solo, plus breakfast | £168.49 | £161.99 |
| 2 adults + 2 children, plus breakfast | £188.99 | £174.98 |
On the family booking, Travelodge’s checkout clearly charged for two adult breakfasts but had no line for the kids’ breakfast at all, so I honestly couldn’t tell whether they’d be included at £1, charged on the day, or missed off entirely. I also hit a technical snag where the room I was pricing kept disappearing from my basket, which was mildly infuriating but at least meant I wasn’t accidentally about to book a real stay away.
On both comparisons Premier Inn came out slightly cheaper, and its checkout was far clearer about exactly what the breakfast element covered. I haven’t personally tried the Travelodge breakfast myself yet, so if you have, I’d genuinely love to hear how it compares in the comments.
The verdict
Overall these two are close enough on price that it’s probably not worth picking one purely to chase the breakfast saving, the gap is a few pounds either way once you account for what the kids actually get. If Premier Inn’s clarity at checkout matters to you, that’s a real point in its favour. If you’ve already got a preference between the two hotels themselves, I wouldn’t let a couple of pounds on breakfast be the thing that changes your mind.
If you’re weighing up budget hotel breakfasts more generally, it’s also worth a read of my Point A Hotel review, which covers much the same ground for a different chain.