Hotel bedrooms overlooking busy railway stations

[Whistler40145]

 

[edwin_m]

You would get a good view of part of Manchester Piccadilly from what I believe is now called the Marriott Hotel. When we went in 2017 we were on the other side of the building though.

There's also a Holiday Inn Express that looks down on Oxford Road.

 

[D6130]

No, it's now the voco Grand Central Hot

It would appear that we are confusing two different hotels here. The Voco Grand Central is the grand Victorian former Central Hotel - opened by the Caledonian Railway in 1883 - some of whose rooms look out over the concourse and buffer ends of the platforms. The more interesting hotel from a train watching POV is the Leonardo - formerly Jury's Inn - in Jamaica Street - whose back rooms overlook the station throat and provide excellent opportunities for photography and videoing arriving and departing trains.

 

[Whistler40145]

It would appear that we are confusing two different hotels here. The Voco Grand Central is the grand Victorian former Central Hotel - opened by the Caledonian Railway in 1883 - some of whose rooms look out over the concourse and buffer ends of the platforms. The more interesting hotel from a train watching POV is the Leonardo - formerly Jury's Inn - in Jamaica Street - whose back rooms overlook the station throat and provide excellent opportunities for photography and videoing arriving and departing trains.

I meant the former Central Hotel from the start

 

[D6130]

I meant the former Central Hotel from the start

Fair enough. @Peter Mugridge made the incorrect assumption in post #29 that you were referring to the Leonardo. I was just trying to clarify the situation. In the end we have two different hotel recommendations for Glasgow Central....which is good.

 

[Tetchytyke]

A lovely view from the Crowne Plaza in Newcastle.

 

[Whistler40145]

Fair enough. @Peter Mugridge made the incorrect assumption in post #29 that you were referring to the Leonardo. I was just trying to clarify the situation. In the end we have two different hotel recommendations for Glasgow Central....which is good.

I have stayed in the former Central Hotel and my room overlooked the platforms

 

[D6130]

I have stayed in the former Central Hotel and my room overlooked the platforms

Yes indeed....many of them do. However the location of the Leonardo - at the other end of the station - gives a different view.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Fair enough. @Peter Mugridge made the incorrect assumption in post #29 that you were referring to the Leonardo. I was just trying to clarify the situation. In the end we have two different hotel recommendations for Glasgow Central....which is good.

The Central is a good hotel ( and is where I head to have breakfast after arriving in Glasgow on the Sleeper ), but very, very, few rooms actually overlook the platforms - although quite a few have a good view of the top of the glass roof; it's not one I'd chose for an actual view of the trains.

Separately, I see the Clayton in Cardiff has been mentioned - I can confirm that this one has an excellent view of the eastern throat of Cardiff Central. These pictures are from room 821.

 

[70014IronDuke]

Are we allowed to go international, and rather nostalgic?

If so, Regua, in the Douro Valley, Portugal, had a hotel just over the road from the dual-gauge loco shed - about 80 yards distant. Back in the day (like 50 years ago) it cost about £2 a night.

Last time I looked on the net, Regua has gone all up market. Still got a station, but the narrow gauge has gone to the graveyard. Was wonderful - if not too busy for large parts of the day.

 

[PlatformEdgeVT]

Lincoln's Travelodge has already been mentioned, but the higher floors are definitely better for views of the station.

 

[Leven Railuser]

I stayed a night in the Ibis just by Amsterdam Centraal. My room was on the wrong side but I'd assume rooms at the back would get a view of the westbound trains from Centraal

 

[Mcr Warrior]

View attachment 161096Lincoln's Travelodge has already been mentioned, but the higher floors are definitely better for views of the station.

Even better views of the Tentercroft Street (Lincoln) pay and display car park, it would seem.

 

[ac6000cw]

A few from my local area:

The east side of the IBIS hotel at Cambridge station overlooks the north end of the station and stabling sidings.

The east side of the Novotel at Cambridge North overlooks the station and the Cambridge - Ely line.

There is a Holiday Inn Express alongside Whittlesford Parkway station.


Much further afield:

The SureStay Hotel in Tehachapi, California is literally across the road from the Tehachapi Pass line at the summit - but most of the rooms don't face in the right direction to see the line, the best view is from near the entrance or from the swimming pool (which is right at the front). I've stayed there a couple of times, and even if you can't see the trains, you can certainly hear them.

In Kamloops, BC, Canada, the Sandman Signature hotel is right alongside the Canadian Pacific mainline. Kamloops is a crew-change point, so pretty much every freight train is accelerating away as it passes. In a room on the south side (where we stayed for a few nights in 2017), you can not only see and hear them but also feel the building vibrating as 15,000 tonnes of train (and more) rolls through:

 

[Merthyr Imp]

There's also a Holiday Inn Express that looks down on Oxford Road.

Yes, we had this view in 2013.

 

[SimplyLlama]

Premier Inn Telford Central is located on the other side of the station car park, and you can get some decent views (although relatively distant) from there. However not 4 lines and trains running 5 minutes behind each other, so may get a bit dull! https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/shropshire/telford/telford-central.html Premier Inn Edinburgh Park is located right next to the station, and whilst mostly 385s and I admit not 4 lines, but trains definitely ‘whizz’ past there regularly! https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/scotland/lothian/edinburgh/edinburgh-park-airport.html

(Photo of the view from Edinburgh Park Premier Inn attached)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If we are stretching this to international, as a few have done, I would nominate the Hotel BB at Malakoff Parc des Expositions in Paris; the west side of floors 4, 5 and 6 have a good view over the main line a mile or so outside Gare Montparnasse... although not actually overlooking any station from the hotel. These pictures are from the 5th floor.

 

[Cletus]

West facing upper floors of both the Travelodge and Holiday Inn Express at Stockport must have pretty good views of the station and northern approach but I don't think anything "whizzes" through Stockport...

I’m currently in the Travelodge. Rooms only go up to the 3rd floor.

From the 2nd floor you can see the top half of trains passing by on the near side of the viaduct.

 

[mm333]

I remember staying in the Travelodge Kings Cross and my room had an excellent view over Kings Cross Thameslink.

 

[LA50041]

My grandson and his mother are currently staying in the DoubleTree by Hilton Leeds City Centre hotel in a bedroom overlooking the west end of Leeds station, much to the delight of my grandson. Many years ago I stayed in the Jury's Inn (now the Leonardo) whose upper floors have a grandstand view of the approaches to Glasgow Central. Where else in the UK can you watch lots of trains from a hotel bedroom? Can we set the criterion of at least four running lines visible to avoid responses such as watching trains at Tal-y-Cafn from the neighbouring eponymous inn?

There is an obvious international version of this - I have watched trains at the east end of Berlin Hauptbahnhof from a hotel bedroom - but it is the UK I am really interested in.

Some rooms at the back of The Liner Hotel in Liverpool overlook the approach to Liverpool Lime Street

Also the Holiday inn Lincoln (if you get a Brayford view room) has a distant view across the basin of the west approach to Lincoln, can see the units and freight passing through.

 

[Oxfordblues]

The Premier Inn Porthmadog has the perfect location. On the east side it has a spectacular panorama of Cnicht, Snowdon and the Moelwyns for the normals. On the west side it overlooks the Harbour Station throat for the gricers!

 

[route101]

Motel One next to Vienna Hbf, great view of trains coming from the East, I even spotted a heritage tour. There is also a pylon that runs with railway over the station, seems to be the case with Austrian Railways.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Some of the rooms at Sleeperz in Dundee overlook the station and, in the distance, the Tay Bridge

(Photo attached of the view from the room I had there last year; station in the foreground and Tay Bridge in the distance)

 

[X-City-WM]

The Premier Inn Porthmadog has the perfect location. On the east side it has a spectacular panorama of Cnicht, Snowdon and the Moelwyns for the normals. On the west side it overlooks the Harbour Station throat for the gricers!

I was going to mention this, as we’re staying there in a few weeks time. Last time I was up Porthmadog was before the PI was built.

One a bit further away, the Premier Inn in Düsseldorf, overlooks a busy Hauptbahnhof with 20 mainline tracks.

 

[SuspectUsual]

The Premier Inn Porthmadog has the perfect location. On the east side it has a spectacular panorama of Cnicht, Snowdon and the Moelwyns for the normals. On the west side it overlooks the Harbour Station throat for the gricers!

I looked at that for a recent trip to North Wales. There prices they wanted were astronomical! I enjoyed the delights of Llandudno instead

 

[DanNCL]

The Premier Inn in Stratford (London) is adjacent to Stratford International. If your room is high enough up then you can, just about, see into the HS1 cutting. Saw a pair of Eurotunnel Krupps on a rake of Network Rail Mark 2s in the early hours of the morning from there once. Was also good for seeing the empty stock workings to/from Temple Mills, those were easier to see than anything on HS1 itself because the Temple Mills access line is higher up.

Not trains as such but rather trams - the Premier Inn in Manchester next to St Peters Square Metrolink overlooks the very busy section between St Peters Square and Deansgate. And the Premier Inn on Goldsmith Street in Nottingham overlooks the NET. Both hotels have their main entrances entrances straight onto the same street as the trams.

Motel One next to Vienna Hbf, great view of trains coming from the East, I even spotted a heritage tour. There is also a pylon that runs with railway over the station, seems to be the case with Austrian Railways.

The Ibis on the other side of Wien Hbf is the same. Stayed there twice, both times requested a room with a railway view in advance and both times got one.

 

[pnepaul]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Travelodge next to Rugby Station. If the OP's grandson wants to see trains whizzing through at high speed, is there a better place?

 

[Msq71423]

Dundee has a new hotel built literally on top of the station, with all rooms on one side looking down over the platforms (and a nice view along the river to the rail bridge)

 

[bspahh]

There is a Holiday Inn Express next to the platforms on the northern side of Slough station

 

[Willie Bee]

Quite a few reviews of the Travel Lodge at Kings Cross mention the noise of trains.

I'm not sure if the trains are visible too