Travelodge expects to open 17 hotels this year through £175m investment

Travelodge expects to open 17 hotels across the UK this year, which are being developed by third-party investors with an approximate investment value of £175m.

It is anticipated that most of the hotels will be open and trading in time for the summer and will create 360 jobs and grow the group's hotel network to 597 locations in the UK, Ireland and Spain.

The openings will include three Travelodge Plus properties, in St Albans and in London’s Elephant & Castle and Manor House, taking the group to 14 Plus-branded hotels. Eight of the openings will have the company’s Bar Café concept.

The expansion programme will see Travelodge enter new markets with the group opening its first hotels in Boston in Lincolnshire, Farringdon in Oxfordshire, Newark on Trent in Nottinghamshire, Rochdale in Greater Manchester and Witney in Oxfordshire. It is also expanding its network in key business locations including two hotels in Bristol, two in London and one in Leicester.

Hoping to capitalise on the staycation market this summer, Travelodge is also opening hotels in Kendal, Cumbria, and Poole in Dorset, as well as Walton on Thames in Surrey, Sandwich in Kent and Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.

Craig Bonnar, Travelodge’s interim chief executive, said: “After a challenging 12 months, today’s announcement demonstrates the strength in the Travelodge brand and is a key step forward as we emerge out of lockdown. I am delighted to be able to say that the opening of our new Travelodge hotels across the UK is going to create 360 new jobs in hospitality and support 17 local economies. Our priority is now to officially reopen our remaining hotels in May, as we emerge from lockdown, welcome our customers back and continue to offer great value but now with even more choice, as we build an even bigger and better Travelodge brand.”

Travelodge is additionally opening two Travelodge Plus hotels this week in London’s Mile End and Portsmouth city centre, which were developed in 2020 but could not open due to the lockdown, representing an approximate investment of £37m for third-party investors and creating 55 jobs.

The expansion follows a tough year for the Travelodge brand. Last year saw the brand undergo a CVA, ward off attempts by rival brands to lure disillusioned landlords and the departure of chief executive Peter Gowers.