Hotels

[stewblack]

Have you found a knack for sourcing cheap hotels when gigging away from home? I don't earn much from my bands and while I sometimes get lucky with a travelodge room for £25 I wonder if there are seasoned, wiley travellers who know their way around the murky waters of the cheap bed. 

[ahpook]

9 hours ago, stewblack said:

....who know their way around the murky waters of the cheap bed. 

I do, but not in the way you're asking.

The shame never entirely fades...not really - you just learn to live with it.

😢

Edited April 18, 2019 by ahpook

[Teebs]

34 minutes ago, ahpook said:

I do, but not in the way you're asking.

The shame never entirely fades...not really - you just learn to live with it.

😢

 

 

Filthy boy!

[Teebs]

49 minutes ago, stewblack said:

the murky waters of the cheap bed. 

Unfortunate turn of phrase, but an ace name for an album!       

🇺🇸

 

(not sure why my 'phone decided to add an American flag, but I can't delete it )

Edited April 18, 2019 by Teebs

[Dov65]

Try Air bnb. Used it many a time working away from home

[lowdown]

Call the Stage Door of any Theatres in the City/Town of the gig you are playing. They usually have lists and recommended Hotel/Digs numbers

from touring acts and musicians. 

 

This Facebook page sometimes comes in handy.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/6902586146/

[uk_lefty]

8 hours ago, stewblack said:

Have you found a knack for sourcing cheap hotels when gigging away from home? I don't earn much from my bands and while I sometimes get lucky with a travelodge room for £25 I wonder if there are seasoned, wiley travellers who know their way around the murky waters of the cheap bed. 

We have either had rooms provided as part of the function, slept in cars or tents, had a "family room" at a hotel and hoped that the ratio of beds to band members who want to sleep Vs those that want to party is correct, I've slept on the drummers lawn, and a few times just bit the bullet and driven an awful long way home after the gig aided by red bull and resisting alcohol.

Edited April 18, 2019 by uk_lefty

[casapete]

Comparison sites - obvious call maybe but they do vary a lot. I've found booking.com frequently offer the best deals, along with Trip Advisor. Both Expedia and Late Rooms seem to have lost a bit of ground lately IMO.

My band used to use Travelodges all the time, but we've now found Premier Inn can often undercut them especially if booked far enough in advance. Keep an eye out on the voucher websites for promotions too ( Vouchercloud etc and even Money saving Expert ).

If you're happy with guest houses etc then the local Tourist Office is often worth a call too. 

 

 

[steantval]

You can easily sleep four band members in one of these.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=large+cardboard+box+photo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=VLfpzJtZNR4SPM:

[uk_lefty]

7 hours ago, steantval said:

You can easily sleep four band members in one of these.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=large+cardboard+box+photo&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb&client=safari#imgrc=VLfpzJtZNR4SPM:

Depends how thin you slice them

[stewblack]

Thanks folks. I'd not tried Premier Inn as they always seem quite pricey but I'll look into booking farther ahead. Booking.com add £££ at the checkout so their cheap rates often aren't. 

I have a phobia around being in other people's homes so Airbnb is not an option. Didn't know about the voucher website or the theatre trick. 

Thanks again 

[DoubleOhStephan]

1 minute ago, stewblack said:

I have a phobia around being in other people's homes so Airbnb is not an option

Before you write off Airbnb, keep in mind that there are a lot of properties on there which have been bought specifically for this purpose and aren't peoples homes at all. 

I had to travel to Hull a lot for work last year and found a lovely flat which was the same price as the premier inn across the road and a lot more comfortable and spacious. Also did the same for my folks when they came up to visit earlier this year. 

[lurksalot]

If you check out booking.com for the best price , then phone the hotel and ask them , as booking.com take a commission, the hotel would rather split the difference and thus they get more for the room, and you get it for less.

not always successful, but on the 2 recent occasions I used booking.com , I subsequently booked more rooms directly, far cheaper than I could on-line 

[Painy]

How about taking your accommodation with you with one of these pop up roofbox tents for your car? 😁

 

[steantval]

2 hours ago, Painy said:

How about taking your accommodation with you with one of these pop up roofbox tents for your car? 😁

 

The cardboard box option is far less expensive.

[stewblack]

2 hours ago, Painy said:

How about taking your accommodation with you with one of these pop up roofbox tents for your car? 😁

 

Now that is awesome! 

[stewblack]

Always a catch. They cost nearly two grand. 

[Geek99]

On 19/04/2019 at 08:26, stewblack said:

Thanks folks. I'd not tried Premier Inn as they always seem quite pricey but I'll look into booking farther ahead. Booking.com add £££ at the checkout so their cheap rates often aren't. 

I have a phobia around being in other people's homes so Airbnb is not an option. Didn't know about the voucher website or the theatre trick. 

Thanks again 

You can get them for £29 a night

[Teebs]

I used to work away from home a lot a few years ago, always on the look-out for cheap accommodation.

Campanile 'hotels' are clean and cheap if you can find one near where you want to be.

[Cat Burrito]

I tour a lot and it's a case of luck a lot of the time. Very occasionally we've had rooms upstairs at the venue, stayed with the promoter or had rooms locally as part of the deal. Obviously sites like Late Rooms are always worth a go and just occasionally Airbnb have come good. The rule of thumb seems to be that some nights you strike gold and some nights you make a loss, but hope to make it up on the merch table or the next night.

I also operate at a level where there isn't loads of money so it's not unusual to break even and basically have a working holiday.

[steantval]

1 hour ago, stewblack said:

Now that is awesome! 

Great until some scumbag nicks the car while you are sleeping up on the roof, it would be like a scene off Mr Bean.

[NancyJohnson]

Back in the day, a load of bands I played with had notebooks full of people who would happily put bands up overnight.  Let 'em in free, buy them a beer, sleep on their sofa.

It wasnt something I adhere to, I prefer my own bed to be honest, but in those dreamy pre-internet days, there's a certain charm now to this being a thing.

[stewblack]

6 hours ago, NancyJohnson said:

Back in the day, a load of bands I played with had notebooks full of people who would happily put bands up overnight.  Let 'em in free, buy them a beer, sleep on their sofa.

It wasnt something I adhere to, I prefer my own bed to be honest, but in those dreamy pre-internet days, there's a certain charm now to this being a thing.

I have put up a touring band before to save them sleeping in their van. They were so grateful for the shower and hot breakfast! 

[Steve Browning]

I would avoid Ibis Budget. Notice how the shower cubicle opens straight into the room and the sink is actually in the room. This is a twin room. 

Not overly keen on having my bandmate watch me clean my nadgers!!

[Painy]

56 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

I would avoid Ibis Budget. Notice how the shower cubicle opens straight into the room and the sink is actually in the room. This is a twin room. 

Not overly keen on having my bandmate watch me clean my nadgers!!

Is possible that your band mate may be even less keen on that scenario than you are. 😐