Easyhotel, Leeds

A clean room with a comfortable bed from £19.99 sounds to be too good to be true but that is the starting point for a room in the new easyHotel that has arrived in Leeds City Centre on Lands Lane.

The budget hotel market really started in France in the late 1990's when new build hotels sprung up all over France, usually situated on industrial estates on the outskirts of towns where you could get a room for €10.00 when they first started. The trend never crossed the channel until the last two decades when the likes of Ibis Budget decided that the UK market was ready for the concept.

Just like when booking an easyJet flight the basic price is just that - anything else you want comes priced separately. If you want a window in your room that costs extra as does the television (it costs £5.00 extra regardless of how many days you stay) whilst the Wi-Fi is chargeable (£5.00 for 24 hours, £10.00 for 3 days and £15.00 for a week).

Thankfully a bath and also a hand towel are included in the room price (don't laugh, some of the budget hotels in France now charge €5.00 for the hire of a towel!)

"We are aiming at people who want to travel and visit the city" explained Iain Goswell, Group Operations Director "whether it be someone wanting a night out in the city, a family who want a weekend away with the kids in the city or corporate business during the week" he continued.

He might have a point there. On my arrival at reception was a business traveller who had just arrived on the train from London. With business accounts being squeezed you can see why the business customer might stay at easyHotel - it's clean, right in the city centre and functional.

The welcome at reception was friendly and informative and I got the impression that the receptionist was pleased and proud to be part of this new venture.

The room it has to be said is basic - there are no chairs, no tea and coffee making facilities (there is a vending machine in reception), minimal hanging space and not even one USB port or Apple port, which was surprising given the young market and corporate market they are aiming at. There were though plenty of electrical sockets to charge up your phone, iPad etc.

What you do get is a very comfortable bed with good linen, good air conditioning, a bright lighting system, which is far better than some of their local competitors, a small bathroom with a powerful shower and free towels! Good to see a shaver point too as some chains seem to think all men have a wet shave. The omission of a cup to use when cleaning your teeth might have been an oversight of the cleaner.

I had a good night's sleep which just goes to show that if you pay 3 times more you might not always sleep 3 times better.

There is no breakfast bar - though you can order a breakfast box at reception for £4.95.

Like the airline the price you pay is more expensive at peak times, £19.99 seemed to be on a Sunday or Monday night, think more like £67.99 if staying on a Saturday night or if there is a big event on in the city.

If you want just a room that provides a good night's sleep and is very clean and best of all right in the city centre it's easy!

easyHotel, 18 Lands Lane, Leeds LS1 6LB
www.easyhotel.com