Holidays in the UK are, nowadays, surprisingly expensive. Whether you are after a luxury weekend away, or even an Airbnb, expect to pay premium. Some of these can even be as much as a weekend abroad, which I think is mad. Over the Summer we spent time in both Costa Rica and Scotland, which meant that we had to be very conscious of money. During our first stop in Scotland, we stumbled across Motel One Glasgow; a stylish hotel that didn’t strain the bank account.
Here is everything you need to know.
Motel One Glasgow | Affordable Travel
Location
The Location of Motel One in Glasgow is, honestly, perfect. The hotel was both our first and final stop of our grand Scotland Rail Journey, and it is a mere 100m away from the central station. It is also about a 5 minute walk away from Queen Street. This meant that we could rest our heads after a busy journey, without the uncomfortable walk with our luggage.
As well as convenience, you are in the heart of the bustle. Restaurants, shops and landmarks are mostly all within a mile radius and, for those further-flung places, there is a bus-stop just outside.
Our Room at Motel One
With budget hotels there is an obvious risk when it comes to rooms. Privacy, comfort and utilities can all be limited, which can seriously impact your stay.
Whilst I’ve stayed in budget hotels that fall into this category before, I genuinely didn’t feel this with Motel One. Firstly, it was rather stylish. I liked the furniture choices and the colour pops (turquoise!), and the bathroom looked and felt seriously modern. There was also a large bed (although, not as large as I would have liked), a small chair / coffee table, and coffee and tea-making facilities.
The bed and char were both comfortable and the room offered everything that we needed. What I would say though is that the room was very basic and small. I did struggle with moving about. The bathroom also, whilst nice to look at, did feel cheap and I even worried I’d fall through the shower basin with all the creaking.
Issues aside though, for little under £100 a night in central Glasgow, I did feel that our room was good value for money.
The Lobby and Service
The Lobby of Motel One Glasgow was very chic, very demure. With the fancy array of different seating options, ranging from large spinning chairs to sheepskin, it was a great place to relax after exploring. Once again the decor had been clearly thought-through and, if I am honest, did not feel like a budget hotel whatsoever. If anything, it felt quite modern and the place to be.
On the far end of the Lobby is the bar. The decor here is the same as you would find in the rest of the Lobby, with the addition of sofas and barstools. They had a decent selection of bottled beer (no drafts) and other drinks, but was weirdly quite pricey! To accompany our drinks, we enjoyed near-unlimited donuts as we had also arrived on a celebratory birthday for the hotel.
A shoutout has to go to all the staff here. I always felt like I was being looked after and they were on-hand to help out.
Final Thoughts | Motel One Glasgow
Our stay at Motel One Glasgow was certainly budget-friendly. I felt for our money that we got everything we needed. If you are looking for a place to use as a base to explore one of my favourite UK cities, Motel One is certainly the place for you. If you are after something a bit more luxurious and want to have a special weekend away in Glasgow, I’d probably look elsewhere.
