Work sent me to Chatham for half a year, and I spent most of it living in the Travelodge, from July through November 2005. I got to try out several of the rooms and was largely pleased with the hotel.
The hotel has a standard mix of rooms: standard rooms have two double beds while the suites have one larger bed, Jacuzzi bathtub, a couch and larger table. The wireless internet and free breakfasts are very good perks.
The hotel is very good, but I didn’t give the hotel a perfect score for two reasons: first, the place is not ‘full service’ or really offering any other special luxuries. The other reason is the poor location in a gritty industrial area – the nearby plants are just ugly though – it is, however, very quiet and peaceful. The rooms themselves have relatively good sound-proofing.
A key example of why ‘full service’ is a problem is that house-keeping is not on call 24 hours a day. As a result, if the housekeeper misses a spot, you’ll have to insist on a different room or wait until morning to have things fixed. Fortunately they usually do a very good job, but mistakes have happened occasionally.
While the hotel’s locale is a minus, the lobby itself is appealing, with a nice fireplace and a sun-room to enjoy breakfast in. The front desk staff are also very gracious, though, and will do their best to make up for any of the hotel’s shortcomings.
The hotel is working on improving itself, though. Over the summer of 2005 the hotel replaced its mattresses and the new ones are great - nice and big and firm. I even prefer sleeping on them to my old bed at home. The pillows aren’t that great, unfortunately. Ask the front desk for the old feather pillows if you don’t like the ‘new’ lumpy foam pillows.
The television sets were also replaced during the summer. The 27" Phillips sets have about 50 cable channels and a strong signal.
Perks: On random nights you can get free popcorn from a real popcorn machine located at the front desk. Be sure to ask. Also, Thursdays are cookie day. Ask the receptionist of there are any – sometimes they’re hidden behind the counter. Speaking of the staff, they’re really nice and friendly along with the rest of the hotel staff.
Chatham is a small city and definitely has a small town vibe which makes a stay here so much more enjoyable. Relish the pleasant atmosphere and the five special restaurants. If you have the cash, definitely visit Stargazers, Hurley’s Den, the Natural Food Emporium, Casa Bella, and Opus, in roughly that descending order of deliciousness and price.
There’s not much to do in Chatham, so you probably won’t spend anywhere near as much time here as I did. In less than a week you can thoroughly see all the attractions. But whether you’re visiting, or just stopping during a longer trip along the 401, you should be able to enjoy a good night’s sleep here.
Bonus trivia: the South Travelodge in London was built by the same man, as a result the layout is extremely similar. If you ever stayed there, you’ll definitely get smacked by deja vu in Chatham.

We recently stayed at this hotel for two nights. It used to be a Holiday Inn Express. The furniture in the rooms appear to be relatively new. Each room has a fridge and microwave. Unfortunately, the matresses and pillows were very soft and were definitely not new.

Some of the windows throughout the 3 storey hotel needed replacement. There were obvious signs of condensation.

On the plus side, the hot buffet breakfast was a pleasant surprise. Scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon (if you don't see it, ask for it) with white or brown bread, a small selection of cereal and two different fruit slices along with small croissants, packets of jam, butter, peanut butter round out a good start to the day. Apple and Orange juice along with coffee, tea and even oatmeal is available.

Nearby area restaurants include Arby's, McDonald's, Kelseys and a diner type restaurant all within a 5 minute drive. The hotel doesn't have a restaurant onsite.

An okay stay. Would be better if mattresses and pillows were part of the renovations/replacement.