Latest news with #UKHotels
The Sun
26-05-2025
- The Sun
I've stayed in hundreds of hotels around the world -these are my favourites in the UK for less than £50 each a night
BEING the Sun's Deputy Travel Editor, I've stayed in hundreds of hotels in the past decade - and have 53 countries under my belt. But despite visiting some of the world's best luxury accommodation, some of my favourite across Britain won't break the bank at all. Here are my seven favourite UK hotels which cost less than £50 per person per night. Telegraph Hotel, Coventry One of the more unique hotels I've stayed at is Telegraph Hotel in the former offices of the Telegraph newspaper in Coventry. Walking into the hotel, which opened in 2021, feels like stepping back into the era of Man Men, with mid century decor harking back to the 1950s. And it's the little touches such as a clippings of the Coventry Evening Telegraph on the walls, as well as the beautiful rooftop bar that really make it special. The food is divine as well, at the Forme & Chase restaurant - I recommend the crab crumpets. Even better, it's right in the centre of Coventry making it a great spot to explore the city further. BEST FOR? Journalism lovers who will be in their element learning about the history. Rooms start from £85 a night, working out to £42.50 each. The Alan, Manchester I often visit Manchester to see friends, so I've stayed at my fair share of hotels in the city. One of my favourites is The Alan, a design hotel in the centre of Manchester which feels more like an architectural project than a hotel. Inside the UK hotel in the middle of a national park - named one of the world's best The bathrooms are adorned with dark pink tiles and stylish brass features, while the bedrooms have white stone coffee tables and glass coffee mugs. It's modern too, each with a Google Nest "smart concierge" for any help, rather than the traditional phone. The intimate bar was an unexpected highlight, with amazing small plates such as butterbean hummus, charred lamb breast and a deconstructed Snickers for dessert. BEST FOR? Architecture fans who love an Instagrammable hotel. Rooms start from £62 a night, working out to £31 each. Mama Shelter, London The trendy Mama Shelter hotel chain first launched in Paris in 2008 - followed by their only UK branch in 2019 in Shoreditch. The zany interiors from garish lights to patterned armchairs mean it is certainly one of the most unique hotels in the UK. While the room choices are simple - with just a small, medium or large - the designs are anything but. Expect multicoloured carpets, fun prints and toiletries saying "Mama Loves You," and even free movies on demand (as well as some more X-rated ones for adults). The hotel restaurant is French-English fusion, serving everything from fish and chips to salmon spring rolls with small plates from £4.50. And there are even karaoke booths you can rent onsite. BEST FOR? Couples who want a fun stay in the capital city. From £92.50 a night, working out to £46.75 a night. 10 10 Mollies Motel, Bristol Mollies Motel is one for the American Diner lovers. I've been lucky enough to stay at both the Bristol and Oxfordshire branch, and there are plans for one to open in Manchester. Built off the side of a busy motorway, they are a step up from a roadside motel, being artfully designed by the team behind Soho House. By that I mean GHDs and Dysons in the room, fancy Cowshed toiletries and a tuck shop selling treats including Tony's Chocolonely and even branded mugs. The restaurant leans heavily into the American diner concept - such as huge burgers, towering pancake stacks and a few token salads - so arrive with an empty stomach. BEST FOR? Travellers exploring the area by car who want an easy base to stay at. Rooms starting from £72 a night, working out to £36 each. 10 Blue Boar, Witney My hometown of Witney is often overlooked when it comes to the Cotswolds, but it has one of my favourite hotels. The Blue Boar is cosy, with quaint floral rooms complete with four poster beds. The restaurant has enough to please everyone from wood-fired pizzas to pasta and burgers from £10. It's where you'll find me dragging my mates for dinner whenever I'm home anyway... BEST FOR? Tourists exploring the Cotswolds on a budget. Rooms from £91, working out to £45.50 each. 10 Generator, London If you want a really cheap hotel and you are happy to go back to basics, let me sell you Generator Hostel. I'm not asking you to share one of the hostel's 18-bed dorm, as their private rooms are surprisingly affordable. They're basic - don't expect towels or a minibar - but if you just want somewhere to sleep while exploring London, it is amazingly located next to Kings Cross. It has a downstairs bar and shuffleboard where you are likely to be surrounded by school kids, so it makes a great option for families with younger kids wanting to explore the city on a budget. Just maybe remember to pack the earplugs… BEST FOR? Families wanting an affordable base for visiting London. Rooms from £44 a night, working out to £22 a night. Rocksalt Rooms, Folkestone I had to include another Folkestone hotel, with my love of my Kent town and just around the corner is the small Rocksalt Rooms. With just four rooms, they are cosy and rustic with wrought-iron beds and Nespresso machines. But it's the location you want them for as it is right behind the Rocksalt restaurant, an awarding winning seafood eatery. Coming with a complimentary breakfast, there's no better way to wake up than with a view over the ocean. Just make sure to stay for dinner for some freshly caught Folkestone scallops. BEST FOR? Foodies who want amazing seaside views. Rooms from £99 a night, working out to £49.50 a night. 10
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
End to asylum seekers in hotels ‘a fair way off' despite latest fall
More than 32,000 asylum seekers were being housed temporarily in UK hotels at the end of March, as one expert predicted the Government meeting its pledge to end the use of such accommodation 'still seems a fair way off'. The figure of 32,345 is down 15% from the end of December, when the total was 38,079, and 6% lower than the 34,530 at the same point a year earlier. London was the area of the UK with the highest number of asylum seekers in hotels while overall Afghan and Iranian were the most common nationalities to be housed in this kind of accommodation. Home Office "> Asylum seekers and their families are housed in temporary accommodation if they are waiting for the outcome of a claim or an appeal and have been assessed as not being able to support themselves independently. They are housed in hotels if there is not enough space in accommodation provided by local authorities or other organisations. Figures for hotels published by the Home Office on Thursday begin in December 2022. They show that hotel use peaked at the end of June 2023, when 50,546 asylum seekers were being housed in this way, and was at its lowest level a year later when the figure dropped to 29,585. Labour has previously said it is 'committed to end the use of asylum hotels over time' adding that under the previous Conservative government at one stage 'more than 400 hotels were in use and almost £9 million per day was being spent'. The Government does not release regular data on the number of UK hotels used to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, although in March the Home Office confirmed 216 hotels were 'currently' in use, with seven due to close by the end of April. There were 213 hotels in use in July 2024 at the time of the general election. A report from public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) earlier this month detailed that those temporarily living in hotels accounted for 35% of all people in asylum accommodation, and for about 76% of the annual cost of contracts – £1.3 billion of an estimated £1.7 billion in 2024-25. That report said data from suppliers 'suggests that hotels may be more profitable than other forms of accommodation', while profit margins for contractors average 7% – which is within the Home Office's original estimate of between 5-13%. The Home Office announced in March it had ended the use of supplier Stay Belvedere Hotels (SBHL), subcontracted by Clearsprings, after its performance and behaviour 'fell short' of expectations. On the latest Government data, the Refugee Council said while it felt 'encouraged fewer people are being accommodated there, currently there are still over 30,000 people stuck in limbo in hotels'. Mihnea Cuibus, researcher at the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, speculated that a 'stubbornly high' backlog of asylum appeals is a challenge for Labour as it works to end the use of hotels. He said: 'Labour's pledge to end hotel accommodation for asylum seekers has been a tough nut for them to crack. 'The government is now making more asylum decisions, but the backlog of asylum appeals remains stubbornly high. This means that many asylum seekers are still in government accommodation, so ending the use of asylum hotels still seems a fair way off.' London accounted for more than a third (37%) of the total number of asylum seekers in hotels. The most recent data showed that of the 32,345 asylum seekers in hotels across the UK at the end of March, 12,024 were in the English capital. Some 3,738 (12%) were in south-east England, 3,306 (10%) in the West Midlands and 3,167 (10%) in north-west England. These four regions together account for more than two-thirds (69%) of the total. Of the remaining 31%, 2,609 (8%) were in eastern England, 2,141 (7%) were in Yorkshire and the Humber, 1,999 (6%) in south-west England, 1,352 (4%) in Scotland, 1,285 (4%) in the East Midlands, 345 (1%) in north-east England, 288 (1%) in Northern Ireland and 91 (0.3%) in Wales. Afghan and Iranian were the most common nationalities, accounting for 3,822 (12%) and 3,637 (11%) of the total respectively. The next most common were Syrian (2,130, 7%); Eritrean (2,045, 6%); Iraqi (2,001, 6%); and Pakistani (1,426, 4%). These six nationalities together accounted for nearly half (47%) of the total.
