It depends what you mean by better.
There is plenty of Premier Inn and Travelodges which are new or have been refurbished and have a cleaner and fresher feel to them, but they lack the magic touches that ATH and Splash have.
The Bed Covers, the pictures on the wall, the little things.
I think when you stop in ATH or Splash to much, you start to take all these little things for granted, and start to notice all the small annoyances. As with most things, if you could go back to ATH for the first time, it would feel far more special than a Travelodge or Premier Inn.
Ian