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 plan 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 emergency stopover. Unfortunately, although the room itself was acceptable, we became increasingly 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 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 where hotels like this can make a lot of sense for road-trippers. A breakdown, delay or unexpectedly long driving day can completely change your plans. 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.
It was not one single problem that made the place feel tired. There were several smaller things, including worn-looking carpets, marked paintwork and fixtures and surfaces that could have done with more attention. The room was not perfectly clean either, although at that point it was still acceptable for what we needed.
One thing that really stood 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 fresh. We could also smell cigarette smoke and what smelled to us like cannabis, so the air freshener was not exactly masking everything.
Had the rest of the evening continued without anything else happening, I suspect we would still 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.
I cannot say that this is what every evening at Travelodge Preston Central is like, and I would not use one visit to make that claim. What I can say is that on 2 July 2026 we no longer felt safe or comfortable enough to spend the night there.
That mattered far more than the tired décor or whether the room could have been cleaner. 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.
Parking at Travelodge Preston Central
Parking is one detail worth checking before arriving, particularly if you are travelling in anything larger than a small car.
We found the on-site car park tight to manoeuvre around, with posts and pillars making it awkward. That matters even more because Travelodge currently recommends the car park for smaller cars and advises drivers of larger cars to look for alternative parking. Large vans and coaches cannot be accommodated.
The on-site parking is chargeable and spaces are first come, first served. The car park uses ANPR, so you need to pay for your parking, enter your vehicle registration and also register the vehicle using the tablet at reception to validate the resident parking rate.
For larger cars, Travelodge suggests Preston Bus Station car park on Tithebarn Street, around a ten-minute walk from the hotel. There is an important catch for campervan travellers: the bus station car park has a 2.03-metre height restriction, so it will not be suitable for many taller vans or campervans.
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 tired and not perfectly clean, but it was still just about acceptable for the 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 is not a judgement on Travelodge hotels generally. Conditions and other guests can change from one night to the next. This review is simply what happened to us on 2 July 2026, when 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.
Visitor information
- Address: Travelodge Preston Central, Preston Farmers Office, 47 New Hall Lane, Preston, PR1 5NX, UK
- Getting there: From the M6, follow signs for Preston. The hotel is approximately two miles along the route, on the right.
- Phone: 08719 846150
- Website: https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/305/Preston-Central-hotel
- Good to know: On-site parking is recommended for smaller cars. Travelodge advises drivers of larger cars to use alternative parking and says large vans and coaches cannot be accommodated.
- VanVentures Verdict: A reasonably priced emergency stop with an acceptable room, but the run-down feel and behaviour in and around the hotel left us uncomfortable enough to leave rather than stay the night.
- VanVentures Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)