Some of the most common criticisms I’ve received about MotorwayServices.info have been about the hotel links and information. Specifically, there were two main points that have been made the most often:

  1. Although each area page lists the on-site hotel where there is one (and we know about it), there’s no clickable link directly to it. Instead, users have to follow the general “hotels” link and then try to find the one that’s located at the MSA. And, often, it’s not listed on that page at all.
  2. Many of the prices shown in the hotels list turned out to be unavailable when actually trying to book a room.

The main reason for both of these problems was essentially the same. Firstly, the data feed on which the hotel lists are based didn’t include Travelodge, which is the most common operator of hotels at MSAs. And, secondly, the data feed wasn’t being updated often enough, meaning that prices were often several months out of date.

The solution to that is twofold. Firstly, and fairly obviously, I’ve now set up an automated system to update the primary data feed on a weekly basis, meaning that prices displayed here will never be more than a few days out of date. I should really have done that a long time ago; it was just a lack of round tuits that stopped it.

Secondly, I’ve now managed to get a data feed for Travelodge, something which had previously evaded me! That, in turn, has made it practical to include direct links from each area page to the appropriate hotel where the data is available. That covers the majority of sites where the hotel operator is either Travelodge or Days Inn, and some of the sites where the operator is Premier Inn. I don’t have a full feed yet for Premier Inn, but that’s something I’m hoping to add in the near future if at all possible. However, it’s less essential as they’re only the third most common hotel operator at MSAs.

The separate hotels list still exists, as I know many people prefer to use other hotels near to MSAs rather than the on-site hotel, so the list and the advanced search facility makes that possible. But I hope the changes will help those of you who simply want an overnight stop at the most convenient location and also want the most convenient way of booking it.