Travelodge to invest £223m across portfolio during 2013
by Jessica Tasman-Jones | 31 Jan 2013
Swoosh stripes of red, grey and blue have been incorporated into the room via the curtains and bed runner
Travelodge will invest £223m in its brand this year, including 14 new hotels at an investment of £141.5m, and the rollout of a new room designed partly by the hotel group’s customers.
Twelve new hotels will open in the UK this year and two will open in Spain, in Barcelona and Madrid.
All new hotels will incorporate a new room design, overseen by in-house designer Frances Whitley and based on feedback from customers, featuring Sleepeezee king sized beds with 800 pocket sprung mattresses – a bed used predominantly in luxury hotels.
A chromotherapy expert has been consulted for the development of a sleep-inducing colour scheme, with feature walls painted a tranquil blue, and remaining walls painted a calming cream colour.
To attract customers £12m will be invested in digital and online marketing, and £1m will be spent refreshing the Travelodge website.
Chief executive Grant Hearn said: “The UK at less than 20 per cent remains a growing market for branded budget accommodation, as it is still well behind matured markets such as the USA and France.”
“This capital expenditure will help us to grow our business, strengthen our product offering and make Travelodge the best value hotel chain in the UK.”
More than 400 new positions will be created with 371 in new hotels, 30 through the hotel’s apprenticeship programme, and 19 more in the head office.
New UK locations will include Bethnal Green, Hounslow, Vauxhall and Walthamstow, in London, and across the rest of the country, Liverpool, Cambridge, Aylesbury, Southport, Kings Lynn, Sittingbourne, Manchester and Chertsey.
Travelodge will invest £223m in its brand this year, including 14 new hotels at an investment of £141.5m, and the rollout of a new room designed partly by the hotel group’s customers. Twelve new hotels will open in the UK this year and two will open in Spain, in Barcelona and Madrid. All new hotels will incorporate a new room design, overseen by in-house designer Frances Whitley and based on
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