Article from BTNews 12 MARCH 2018
Travelodge hits business trail
A strengthened focus on the business travel market has been announced by hotel group Travelodge with a £240m plan to open 20 new UK properties this year, mainly in business destinations.
It follows the roll-out last year of 1,000 premium-economy “SuperRooms”, which Travelodge says have been a great success. The latest expansion includes another 400 of the rooms and gives the group a portfolio of 578 hotels in the UK, Spain and Ireland.
Travelodge has opened 78 new hotels over the past five years at an approximate investment value of more than £600m for third-party investors and created 2,000 new jobs.
The group has also invested £100m in a hotel modernisation programme, launching the SuperRoom product, upgrading the food and beverage offering and improving digital platforms.
Travelodge said that as a result it had seen a rise in corporate and SME business customers, which now make up more than half of its overall sales. Consequently, it was now more focused on opening new hotels in key business locations, it said.
The company’s largest new-build to date will be in the City of London with a 395-room flagship property expected to open this summer near the Gherkin. Other new locations include Acton and Dagenham in London and Dover.
OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)
All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum