Dunstable Hotels: Where to Stay in Central Bedfordshire

Looking for hotels in Dunstable? This Bedfordshire market town sits beside the Chiltern Hills and close to Luton Airport, and the lodging list is short but real. We checked official hotel pages and booking listings for each property below. We name every detail we could not confirm, and we do not quote rates, because rates change daily. Call the hotel before you pay.

Compare Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire, England hotels on Expedia

Hotels in Dunstable: Where to Stay in Dunstable Now

Where to Stay in Dunstable at a Glance

We confirmed five places to sleep in and around Dunstable. The Old Palace Lodge stands in the old town centre. Holiday Inn Express Dunstable and the Highwayman sit on the busier roads. Two Premier Inn hotels serve drivers and airport travellers, one on Luton Road and one on the A5 at Kensworth.

Each property suits a different trip. Pick the Old Palace Lodge for history and a restaurant. Pick Holiday Inn Express for free breakfast and free parking. Pick the Highwayman for a pub with rooms. Pick a Premier Inn for a simple room near the roads and the airport.

The old post on this page listed a Dunstable Arms Hotel. We found no sign of a hotel by this name, so we dropped the entry. Read the section on dropped listings below for details.

The Old Palace Lodge Hotel

The Old Palace Lodge stands on Church Street, Dunstable, LU5 4RT. The hotel sits opposite the ancient Priory Church. Its own site places the hotel on the A505 between the town centre and the M1 at Junction 11. The phone number is 01582 662201.

The building has a long past. The hotel history page says King Henry I had a palace built on this site and stayed here from 1109. The house became the Old Palace Lodge Hotel in 1960. The Norman King pub next door came from a converted farm barn.

The hotel site lists standard double, executive double, deluxe double and honeymoon suite rooms. Listed features include free Wi-Fi, an onsite gym, tea and coffee trays, and irons with boards. The deluxe rooms list air conditioning and a wet room shower. The hotel says 60 parking spaces are free on its grounds.

The hotel site gives Luton Airport as 5 miles away and Luton rail station as 4 miles away. The hotel calls itself a four star hotel with a restaurant. One booking site lists 85 bedrooms. We found only this single figure, so confirm the room count if you plan a group stay.

We did not find check-in and check-out times on the official pages we could read. Ask when you call.

Holiday Inn Express Dunstable

Holiday Inn Express Dunstable stands on London Road, Dunstable, LU6 3DX. The front desk phone is +44 1582 809885. The official IHG page lists check-in from 2:00 PM and check-out at 11:00 AM. The minimum check-in age is 18.

IHG says breakfast comes free with your stay. Breakfast runs from 6:00 AM to 9:30 AM on weekdays and from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM on weekends. The hotel has one restaurant, a lobby lounge bar and free Wi-Fi. Parking is free, but the car park uses camera enforcement. You must register your vehicle at reception or face a fine.

The hotel has no pool, takes no pets and runs no airport shuttle. Four meeting rooms hold up to 50 delegates, so the hotel suits small business groups.

IHG lists Whipsnade Zoo at 3.5 miles, Woburn Safari Park at 12.8 miles and Luton Airport at about 7 miles. The same page describes a 15-minute drive to the airport. Allow extra time at busy hours.

The Highwayman Hotel

The Highwayman is a Hungry Horse pub with a hotel, run under the Greene King Inns name. The official page describes 50 en-suite bedrooms with free Wi-Fi and tea and coffee supplies. A booking-guide listing says the rooms sit in a separate lodge building next to the pub. We did not confirm the exact street address, so check the booking page for the address.

Check-in runs from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Check-out ends at 11:00 AM. Reception opens from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM. The hotel accepts same-day bookings only until 9:00 PM. The hotel takes no cash for room bookings, so bring a debit or credit card.

Listed facilities include a car park, EV charging, a bar and lounge, and disabled facilities. The pub shows sport on Sky and TNT channels. The official page lists Luton rail station at 6 miles and Luton Airport at 8 miles.

Guest ratings are mixed. The hotel page shows 3.5 out of 5 from 40 Google reviews and 2.8 out of 5 from 41 Tripadvisor reviews. Choose the Highwayman for a low-key pub stay with parking. Skip the Highwayman if you want a quiet boutique stay.

Premier Inn Dunstable Luton, Luton Road

This Premier Inn stands at 350 Luton Road, Dunstable, LU5 4LL. The chain gives directions from the A505 off M1 Junction 11. Follow signs to Dunstable. After about half a mile, turn right at the roundabout. The hotel sits immediately on the left. The phone number is 0333 777 4663.

The chain lists free parking, free Wi-Fi, a restaurant, breakfast and accessible rooms. Room types include double, twin, family and accessible rooms. Premier Plus rooms add air conditioning, a mini fridge and a coffee machine.

The chain lists Dunstable Downs at 4 miles, Whipsnade Zoo at 7 miles and Luton rail station at 4 miles. The chain also lists Woburn Safari Park at 15 miles.

Read this warning before you book. Recent guest reviews on the chain page from late 2026 mention a refurbishment of the bar and restaurant, and some guests found no evening meal on offer. These come from guest comments only. The chain page does not confirm them. Call the hotel to ask whether dinner and a full breakfast run during your dates.

Premier Inn Dunstable South A5, Kensworth

This hotel stands on Watling Street, Kensworth, Dunstable, LU6 3QP. The chain says to leave the M1 at Junction 9 and drive on the A5 toward Dunstable for 3 miles. The hotel sits on the right. The phone number is 0333 777 4665.

The chain lists free parking with a vehicle registration step at the reception tablet. The chain lists Dunstable Downs at 4 miles, Whipsnade Zoo at 5 miles and Luton rail station at 6 miles. Travel sites list different check-in times for this hotel, so confirm the time by phone.

A guest review from September 2026 describes self service check-in with staff on hand. The same review praises the staff and criticises the room. Treat one review as one view.

Motels and Budget Options in Dunstable

Many travellers search for motels in Dunstable. We found no motel-style property with outdoor room doors. The nearest equivalent is a roadside lodge such as the two Premier Inn hotels or the Highwayman, where parking sits beside the building.

One booking guide also lists The Pheasant Inn, which the guide calls a Victorian pub on the edge of Dunstable with rooms and a hearty breakfast. We found this listing in one source only. We could not confirm the address, room count or opening status, so we do not recommend the Pheasant Inn yet. Call before you plan a stay there.

Hotels Near Dunstable Downs and Whipsnade

Dunstable Downs is the main reason many guests stay in the area. The National Trust looks after the Downs and the Whipsnade Estate. The National Trust address is Whipsnade Road, Dunstable, LU6 2GY. The phone number is 01582 500920. The site lists walking trails, a visitor centre and car parking with pay and display charges, which you should check on the day.

The National Trust page also describes a Whipsnade and Dunstable Downs walk. The walk passes the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral. The Trust says families can reach the Downs from the centre of Dunstable on foot in about 25 minutes or by a short bus ride. Check the current bus times before you rely on a route.

For a stay near Dunstable Downs, the distances above favour the two Premier Inn hotels at 4 miles each and Holiday Inn Express, which IHG describes as near the Downs. For a stay in the old town, choose the Old Palace Lodge.

Things to Do Near Your Dunstable Hotel

Dunstable Priory Church stands opposite the Old Palace Lodge, according to the hotel. IHG points to the 12th-century Dunstable Priory and the Grove Theatre for plays, dance and film. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Woburn Safari Park both appear on hotel pages as day trips.

The Highwayman page adds Wrest Park, Shaw’s Corner, Stockwood Discovery Centre and Barton Hills National Nature Reserve to its list of nearby places. The page also says the Roman city of St Albans is a 20 minute drive. We list these as the hotel’s own claims. Check opening days on each attraction site before you go.

Dropped Listings and Name Changes

The previous version of this page listed a Dunstable Arms Hotel. We searched for a hotel or pub with rooms under this name in Dunstable and found none. We removed the entry. If you know of one, tell us.

A guest review also says the Halfway House pub next to the Luton Road Premier Inn has closed. We found this in a single review, so treat the point as unconfirmed.

How to Choose a Dunstable Hotel

Start with your reason for the trip. A wedding or dinner guest should look at the Old Palace Lodge. A traveller with an early flight should look at the Premier Inn hotels or Holiday Inn Express, which all sit within a short drive of Luton Airport. A group watching sport may like the Highwayman.

Ask five questions when you call. Is breakfast included on my dates? Is the restaurant open? What are the exact check-in and check-out times? Where do I park and must I register my car? What is the cancellation rule on my rate? Write down the answers and keep the booking confirmation.

Book early for weekends with weddings, concerts or school holidays. Luton Airport travel can also fill rooms at short notice.

Getting to Dunstable

Dunstable sits close to the M1. The Old Palace Lodge and the Luton Road Premier Inn use Junction 11 and the A505. The A5 Premier Inn uses Junction 9. Luton rail station is the nearest main station on the hotel pages, at 4 to 6 miles depending on the hotel. Frequent buses link Luton and Dunstable, according to the National Trust.

Four hotels above list free parking, and two of them ask you to register your car. Follow the instructions at reception to avoid a fine.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We read the official pages for the Old Palace Lodge, Holiday Inn Express through IHG, the Highwayman through Greene King Inns, and both Premier Inn hotels. We cross-checked with booking and review listings from Expedia, Booking.com, Tripadvisor and Choose Where. We read the National Trust page for Dunstable Downs.

We could not confirm room rates, because we do not quote them. We could not confirm the Old Palace Lodge check-in times or the Highwayman street address. We could not confirm the Pheasant Inn from a second source. We could not confirm the Premier Inn A5 check-in time, because sources disagree. We could not confirm the opening dates for the Luton Road Premier Inn bar and restaurant work.

Hotels change owners, names and policies. Phone the hotel before you pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hotels in Dunstable offer a small but useful choice. The Old Palace Lodge brings history and a restaurant. Holiday Inn Express brings free breakfast. The Highwayman brings a pub atmosphere, and two Premier Inn hotels bring simple rooms near the roads. Call your chosen hotel, confirm times, meals and parking, and book early for busy weekends.

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