Dev Patel has stayed in so many horrible hotels he now has a "trick" to get him through it.

The 21-year-old actor plays the owner of a rundown establishment in India in his new movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The films sees a group of people from the UK portrayed by stars such as Dame Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy all staying at the inn. Their jaws dropped when they first see where they will be sleeping, and it's something Dev can relate to.

"I went to one in India with my friend and it wasn't exactly a hotel. Well it was, but I think he'd just stuck a sign on his house. It was just terrifying, stuff was coming out of the cracks, the bed was soiled. I've got a trick for you though, always carry an extra T-shirt and then you can put it over the pillow if it's soiled!" Dev laughed to Cover Media.

"Me and him on the bed wasn't the best thing either, two 6ft. blokes sharing the bed."

Dev is from the UK but is currently based in Los Angeles where he is shooting a TV show. He doesn't feel like he has a home anywhere at the moment, but he's happy with that.

The star plans to take advantage of travelling the world while he is still young.

"I don't really have a home, I'm all over the place. It feels good though, I like it. I think I'm so young I don't feel I have to settle," he explained.

"It's terrifying [in LA] because you have to drive to work. I can barely drive and yet I somehow manage to stay alive every day after fighting for survival on the streets of LA. I've got a proper job."

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is out in the UK on February 24.