This was not a planned hotel stay. We booked Travelodge Preston Central on 2 July 2026 after a breakdown in Scotland had turned the journey home into a much longer day than expected. The idea was simple: stop in Preston, get some rest and finish the drive the following morning.
At £52.99 for the night, it seemed like a sensible way to split the journey without spending too much on what was essentially an unplanned stopover. Unfortunately, although the room itself was acceptable, we became uncomfortable with the atmosphere in and around the hotel and decided not to stay the night.
Why we booked Travelodge Preston Central
After the breakdown, the priority was no longer making a trip out of the journey home. We simply wanted somewhere reasonably priced where we could stop for the night rather than pushing on while tired.
We had initially considered stopping in Blackpool, but chose Preston instead because we had never visited before. Travelodge fitted the sort of booking we were looking for: a straightforward hotel room for one night rather than somewhere we expected to spend much time.
That is the situation where hotels like this can make a lot of sense for road-trippers. After a breakdown, delay or unexpectedly long driving day, sometimes all you need is a bed, a shower and somewhere to reset before carrying on.
First impressions
The hotel felt a little run down when we arrived, but initially it was still within what I would consider acceptable for a budget overnight stop. I have stayed in considerably worse hotels, and nothing about the room itself immediately made us want to leave.
One thing that did stand out was the overpowering smell of air freshener through the corridors. It was strong enough to be noticeable rather than simply making the building smell clean or fresh.
Our room was broadly what I would expect from a standard Travelodge-style room. It was not perfectly clean, but it was acceptable for what we needed. Had the rest of the evening continued in the same way, I suspect we would simply have stayed, slept and carried on home the following morning.
Why we decided to leave
The problem came after we had changed and headed back out.
We encountered people smoking in the corridors, while around the hotel entrance there was a group drinking, being rowdy and smoking what appeared to be cannabis. The combination changed how the hotel felt to us quite quickly.
This is where I need to keep the review proportionate. I cannot say that the hotel is generally unsafe, and one evening does not establish what conditions are normally like there. What I can say is that, on our visit, we no longer felt safe or comfortable enough to spend the night.
That mattered more than whether the room was slightly tired or whether the cleaning could have been better. We had booked the hotel specifically so we could stop driving, relax and get some rest. Once we no longer felt comfortable doing that, the stay had stopped solving the problem we had booked it for.
We therefore decided to leave and complete the journey home that night instead.
Was it worth £52.99?
On price alone, £52.99 did not initially seem unreasonable for an unplanned overnight stop. If we had been able to settle in, sleep and continue the journey the next morning, I would probably have viewed it as a practical cost after an already difficult day.
In practice, we did not stay the night, so it did not provide the value we were looking for.
For this type of stop, value is about more than getting a cheap room. If you are travelling a long distance and booking somewhere because you are exhausted, delayed or dealing with a vehicle problem, being able to feel comfortable enough to actually rest is part of what you are paying for.
Would I stay at Travelodge Preston Central again?
Based on this visit, no. I would choose somewhere else.
The room itself was not the main problem. It was slightly run down and not perfectly clean, but still acceptable for the sort of inexpensive overnight stop we had booked. The reason I would not recommend our experience was the behaviour we encountered in the corridors and around the entrance, and the fact that it made us uncomfortable enough to abandon the stay altogether.
I would not use one evening to judge every stay at this hotel, and this certainly is not a judgement on Travelodge hotels generally. Conditions and other guests can change from one night to the next. But a review also has to reflect what actually happened, and on 2 July 2026 this particular stop failed at the one thing we needed it to do: give us somewhere we felt comfortable stopping for the night before continuing home.
If I found myself in the same situation again, I would still consider using a budget hotel to break up a difficult journey. I would just look for another option in the area rather than returning to Preston Central.
Information
Address: Preston Farmers Office, 47 New Hall Lane, Preston, PR1 5NX, UK
Phone: 08719 846150
Website: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/305/Preston-Central-hotel
Directions: From the M6, follow signs for Preston. The Travelodge is around 2 miles along the route, on the right.
Note: The car park cannot accommodate large vans or cars.
VanVentures Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)