The Horrors Of Travelodge

We often have to stay in Travelodges when touring the UK visiting our garden office clients. We use them because there is one in every town, their website is very easy to use and they allow you to bring your dog.
But we don't stay there through choice.
As soon as the dog is old enough to be trusted in a smaller, more intimate space we will be reverting back to staying in pubs or bed and breakfasts where ever possible.

The whole business in run on the doubtful premis that they are the cheapest hotel. They rarely are, unless you want to stay in the back of beyond on a Saturday night.

Here are seven thing you should never do in a Travelodge.

1. Never move the sofa in the family room. You don't want to know what has been left underneath it.
2. Never expect the plumbing to work correctly. You will find a cynical little notice tied to the towel rail suggesting that you help save the planet [they mean help save their laundry bill] by not having clean towels every day, if you are staying for more than one night. Meanwhile the bath trap will be dripping and will have been dripping for months. We have experienced this in Stowmarket Travelodge. We stayed in the same room on two occasions, months apart and the tap hadn't been repaired.
3. Never stay in the Stevenage Travelodge. The central heating system shakes and vibrates and the staff tell us that this has been going on for a year without the manangement doing anything to fix it. It seems is cheaper/easier for them to refund money to customers that complain than fix the heating.
4. Never expect the floor to have been vacuumed. I've never heard one or seen one in a Travelodge. But do be reassured that we dog owners have paid an extra £20 so that the room can be 'deep cleaned' when we have left. The dog normally does the deep cleaning by eating all the items left under the sofa. See point 1 above.
5. Never expect there to be a picture on the wall or .......
6. In the newly refitted Travelodge rooms never expect enough space to be able to put anything down, hang anything up or store anything.
7. But the biggest NEVER of all. Never expect any response or useful comment from their customer services, who can only be contacted by email or letter.

TO BE FAIR: -
Any finally, in smaller, rural Travelodges you will meet kind, helpful and friendly staff who have to fend off complaints because the Travelodge management are not interested in giving their client a clean, well maintained, basic hotel room. They are only interested in the bottom line.

Garden office recommendations

We often get notes of thanks from our garden office customers. I think this one, that arrived a couple of days ago is the best yet: -
"I can say without doubt that I am totally delighted with my new music room/garden office. When I first started looking for a building I almost gave up, because firstly I could not find anything that resembled the quality and specification of a house extension and secondly I could not find a company that would be able to supply a building with limited site access. However InsideOut Buildings were able to fulfil this on both counts.
Planning, dsign and construction were also made easy at every stage.
With the quality of the timber and materials used, along with the excellent workmanship in the building, this project must surpass the quality of many modern house builds.  Along with double thickness roof, floor and wall insulation, plus double glazed windows and door, my building is in the same class as a Scandinavian timber house." Graham Boutell, Byfleet Surrey.
Graham's building is pictured above.

A Natural Oasis

The divide between home and office has been diminishing, with more and more people turning their personal sanctuary into office space. And for good reason: working from home and telecommuting saves a worker the physical commute to work, fuel expenses and time. Flexible working arrangements can also benefit the actual companies themselves - workers are more productive with flexible working hours and a less stressful “life/work” balance results. A home worker furthermore has the opportunity to surround themselves in a positively stimulating natural work environment, instead of a stressful, stuffy, synthetic cubicle.

A Good Work Environment

Your work environment has a profound impact on productivity.  If you have opted to work from home, your office space should not be designated to any old spare corner in the house, so select your work space and conditions appropriately.  Your first consideration should be choosing an area that is relatively free from distraction and noise to enable you to work.

You will also work more efficiently and positively in a bright open space, which filters in plenty of refreshing natural light. Do, however, offset the brightness (which can be overwhelming in summer), with some curtains to minimize glare, and invest in some good table lamps.  A comfortable chair is also a must, as well as the usual office furniture. Your office design should likewise be very practical and organised, maintaining your own professional image and that of the company you represent.

The Garden Office- A Great and Green Working Option

You may actually wish to create an office space in a nature-inspired area full of lush greenery.  Nature can be profoundly calming and help keep stress at bay. Creating a garden office can be a tranquil environment to work in, and can even be detached from your regular home, so you can feel as if you are actually going to work.  A garden office can be a lodge, studio or entire building on its own devoted to your work practices. It can be as lush and green as you wish to make it. Once there, you can choose natural, eco-friendly materials and furniture.  A garden office or studio is like a private cove that is ideal for analysis, thinking, retreat and intense working.

A garden office can be as simple or as elaborate as a person wants to make it.  The important part is retaining its natural atmosphere and essence.  Perhaps you only wish to add a few plants and invest in some eco-friendly bamboo furniture, or maybe you would prefer to invest in a complete greenhouse office and do your part at being economically sustainable.  Solar panels, eco-friendly paint, recycled paper, desks made of environmentally sustainable materials and low energy lights are some features to include in a green office.  Whatever features you decide, your office should be your natural oasis.

Electronic Equipment

As natural as you wish to make your green office, it will still require the electrical essentials necessary for work.  A natural environment is relaxing to work in; a cluttered one is not.  Some of your organizational essentials in any office space, including a green one, are your computer, laptop (if possible, for portability), filing cabinet, desk, telephone, and printer.

Searching for discounts on such equipment is relatively easy PC World discount vouchers can be grouped together for one stop office refurbishment shopping.  In addition to their regular sales, PC World discount codes can make shopping for office supplies economical and practical.