Last night's hotel: Mariott al Jaddaf, Dubai

Lovely, if not doubt expensive.  Rather in an island in a sea if desert at the moment.  Nothing around it but a petrol station.  No doubt that will change.  Stonking wifi (free), great plumbing, hightly trained staff, great attention to detail.  Free shuttle to Dubai Mall.  Just wish I want under the weather and could enjoy it more.

Tonight's hotel: Premier Inn Dumfries

Perfectly servicable

Last nights hotel London Continental Hotel

Back to an old haunt, now surpringly expensive

This week's hotel: The Platinum hotel, Muscat, Oman

First the good news: lovely staff, good location, great city, amazing view from rooftop pool, fantastic country.  Then the intermediate news: the decor tries hard but the finish is not top notch.  Finally the bad news: intermittant (but free and sometimes good) wifi, cafe not great shakes, plumbing a bit random (which way is cold for the sink?).  Not the end of the world, is it?

Last night's hotel: the Wharfhouse, Canal Basin, Gloucester

Rather lovely.  Imagine it would fantastic in summer.  Lovely room with bicvies, super breakfast.  Only problems are that is is in the middle of nowhere

This week's hotel: La Fermee, Rimboval, France

Last nights hotel London Continental Hotel

Back to an old haunt, now surpringly expensive

Last night's hotel: De Vere Devonport hotel, Greenwich

A favourite

Last Friday's hotel: Radisson Edwardian, London

Lastnight's hotel: Premier Inn, Pacific Quay, Glasgow

Nice food, very comfy, but a bit slow for food - better book.

Yesterday's hotel room: The Carlton Hotel, Rugby

Very nice people ans very convenient for IChemE and the station.  But cold and noisy.

Quaint wifi password, ok shower, ok full English.  Work-a-day.

Tnight's hotel room: Room 103, Sudbury House, Farringdon

So far so good.  Looks lovely, restaurant and bar look far too nice for the likes of me.  Should be here next week so will explore more then

Last night's hotel: room 510, Jurys Inn, Broad Street, Birmingham

Have I completed the Broad Street set yet?

Tonight's hotel: Jury's Inn Southampton

No parking, but next to a very nice park. Rather expensive, but I'm not paying.  In something of an uncertain area I think.  Wifi is pay, but I got comped.   Restaurant ok

Last night's hotel: travelodge central Bristol

Be careful which Travelodge Central Bristol you go to.  I went to the wrong one first.  This one is Anchor road

Last week's hotel: One Fort Hill, Hertford

More of a B&B.  Just three rooms.  Lovely position on the edge of Hertford town centre, great wifi, lovely home cooked breakfast.  Only minor whinge is that the shower coulld have more pressure.

Not to everyon's taste I am sure - particularly if you like the minimalist approach.  But it was a lovely change from the identikit hotel chains.

This week's hotel: Thistle, Newcastle

A turret room, 505.  Which may have been an upgrade from the booking, but either way the hotel was full.  Directly across the road from Central Station, and I mean about 10m, but no noise from the station.  The same was not true of Newcastle's vibrant nightlife - the hotel provided ear plugs by default.  It didnt bother me anyway. Good shower, great free wifi. Full English contributed to my expanding waistline, but coffee took a time.  I would be happy to go back.  I might even pay.

It was the longest day in a Northern city, so I went for a late walk and reminded myself of its strikingly grand architecture.  Pubs seem to be transitioning into clubs, and the Bigg market looks like it is heading downhill (which of course it literally does).  High Bridge seems to be losing shops for restaurants and hotels.  Wish I had more time to explore.

Last week's hotel: IBIS City Centre Coventry

Well it's not cheap, for what it is.    Parking and Breakfast, which is not great, are extra.  But at least the wifi was free and ok.  I am not fond of their bathroom pods which have a shower and sink and toilet, but it was ok (at least until I slipped trying to get out of it).  I was not paying the bill, and I think that I was generous last time in saying it was cheap.  I get rooms in London for less, which is my benchmark.  Admittedly not nice rooms.

The major good thing about this hotel is that it is 5 minutes walk from the station, and also 5 minutes from where I was working (and these were not opposite directions!).

I was in a bad mood when I got there because the Birmingham-Coventry line was closed because of a fatality, and I had to take a taxi from Birmingham New Street.  and when I did get there the key did not work first time.  Again.  But it does the job. And things could have been worse.

Breakfast is a sort of small scale buffet featuring limited choice and dried up eggs for about £8.  Not good enough to be enthused, not bad enough to be angry.

Birmingham City Centre

Dodgy keys, reasonble wifi, no parking, strong shower but very low.  Bit dated and worn, but ok.

Last week's hotel: Enclave suites, Orlando, Florida

Well, I really like it.  Ok it is clearly getting a bit worn and used, but it is literally 5 minutes drive from Universal Studios.  By which I mean 5 minutes after finally getting in your car in the Universal car park, you are pulling into the Enclave Suites car park.

The staff are pleasant enough if not exactly world leaders in customer service, the pool(s) are clean, the showers are good, the cleaner's really do clean, and it is really rather affordable.  For a family on any kind of a budget it was great.  My one real gripe is that the card keys were just as unreliable as anywhere, which meant a couple of trips to reception.  Oh, and though they were willing to let us have a mail order delivery they could not quite get with the programme about telling the mail order company that we were guests.  Perhaps I should have tipped more.

It is quite likely we shall return.