I stayed at the Inverness airport hotel where The Traitors contestants REALLY sleep and eat breakfast - it cost me £70-a-night and here's what it's like inside

On screen, The Traitors contestants are seen relaxing in luxurious four-poster beds and soaking in freestanding bathtubs.

But these pre-recorded clips couldn’t be further away from their reality.

After a long day of filming at the picturesque Ardross Castle, contestants are blindfolded and driven for around 45 minutes back to Inverness in black Land Rover Defender 110s.

They are taken to the four-star Inverness airport hotel, Courtyard by Marriott, where they stay until they are murdered or banished, and strict rules are in place to ensure they can’t cheat in the game.

The hotel, which opened in March 2020, has 130 rooms and offers a restaurant, private parking, a fitness centre, and a bar.

I spent two nights at the hotel, which cost me £70-a-night, to see for myself how contestants spend their time when not filming.

The rooms are very basic but come equipped with a comfortable king-size bed and a desk, where players make notes about the murders, banishments, and betrayals.

Players are spread out across different floors, with chaperones guarding each floor to make sure no one is interacting off-camera.

One guest told me: 'I'm cabin crew and stayed there when they first filmed, and there was security sitting about the floors at the lifts to make sure no one sneaked out of their room.'

And it's not just the UK contestants who stay here, as the US stars - including Maura Higgins and Rob Rausch - give up their luxuries and spend weeks lodging here, with host Alan Cumming, 60, previously confirming this.

Insiders tell the Daily Mail: ‘Luxury wasn’t a priority when deciding where players would sleep. Bosses needed a hotel that could host all of the crew and contestants, and there aren’t many big enough to do this in the surrounding area.

‘The castle has private suites, which are used for filming dramatic pre-murder scenes, but it is not a hotel and would not be suitable to host contestants and crew overnight.’

While they are mainly restricted to their rooms, sources say that they are allowed to leave for smoking breaks or fresh air, but they must be chaperoned.

They are also allowed to use the small hotel gym, which has treadmills and weights, but again, they must be accompanied by the crew.

There is no bath, only a shower, with some complaining about this in the past because all they want to do after a gruelling mission is soak in the bath.

Several contestants have also spoken out about the long filming days, which can go for as long as 17 hours, so they are exhausted by the time they get back to the hotel.

The mini fridge was not stocked up when I checked in, but contestants can request snacks from their chaperones. There is also a mini market in the hotel lobby, with everyday essentials including snacks and toiletries for sale.

The hotel offers hot and continental breakfast options in a buffet style in their restaurant area, and while room service isn’t an option for regular guests, the hotel makes a special exception for Studio Lambert, the company that produces the BBC show.

Breakfast is delivered to their rooms before setting off in the Land Rovers, hence why none of them are hungry for the huge spread put on at the castle.

During filming, the hotel remains open to the public, so it seems surprising that nothing is ever leaked ahead of airing.

But one regular guest explained to the Daily Mail that, like any airport hotel, people visiting are typically travelling for work and only stay for one or two nights, which may not be long enough to discover what is really going on, or who the contestants are.

When the show first aired, there was a lot of confusion about where contestants stay the nights because of the B-roll clips, showing them sleeping, showering, and relaxing in luxurious rooms in the castle.

Producers decided they needed dramatic cutaways so the audience could keep track of who was up for being murdered, but they also show contestants leaving in cars as they want to be transparent with viewers.

So, while it is hard to imagine them climbing into bed at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel, it is all part of being a contestant on The Traitors.