In addition, when touring Leicester, quite a few girls stay at the Hotel on the M1 Services between J21 and J21a.
If you are planning to visit this hotel, you are allowed 2 hours free parking, after which you have to pay £8., otherwise a fine can follow in the post.
When I once went to see a girl for a 2hr appt, I paid this £8 in the main shop at the service station, w h smiths shop(?).
When I started to call out my registration, their system picked up the full number, having only given her the first 2 letters, as it was checking against recent entries.
Note, I preferred to pay the £8 in the shop, rather than get free parking via the Hotel. Although this is possible, it can get messy/embarrasing as it means having to go to the hotel reception, mentioning that you are visiting "a friend" in Room xxx, and that you will be staying over 2 hours. If another punter has already done the same thing, then they may catch on, or it may become embarasing for you. In addition, they may want to speak to the WG to confirm this, before giving you free parking.
It is quite easy to pay the £8 in the shop, as no questions are asked as to why you are staying longer than 2 hrs. If asked, simply say you wanted a quick nap, before carrying on with your journey.