Travelodge to upgrade 55 hotels to budget-luxe design

Travelodge has announced it is upgrading a further 55 hotels across its estate to the group’s new Budget-Luxe design, with 25 sites in key staycation destinations fast tracked to be completed in time for the summer staycation period. This includes the group’s two biggest hotels, the 463-room Covent Garden hotel and the 408- room Kings Cross Royal Scot London Travelodge hotel. Other key staycation locations include Cheltenham, Ipswich, Oxford, Newport and Southampton. It comes as the group’s latest Travelodge Travel Index report revealed that despite the current ‘cost of the living crisis’, 63% of Brits have booked a summer holiday this year and 72% of these respondents are holidaying in Britain. The new Travelodge Budget-Luxe design has been created on the success of the group’s TravelodgePLUS format, with feedback from the company’s largest consumer study. Key findings revealed that “modern travellers crave style, choice and little homely touches to make it easier to work, rest and relax both inside and outside of the room”. In response to this consumer insight, the Travelodge interiors team remodelled their core product with a new budget-luxe design that includes all the low cost efficiencies, alongside “thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches throughout its interiors”. It has also introduced a new signature rich navy blue brand colour which pays homage to the first Travelodge blue brand colour. The upgrade also features a number of sustainable initiatives, including carpet made from recycled fishing nets and plastic bottles, low energy lighting installed throughout the hotel with motion sensing controls and aerated showers and taps in the en-suite bathrooms. The Travelodge budget-luxe upgrade programme includes new receptions and a contemporary designed restaurant called the Bar Café. Steve Bennett, Travelodge, chief property and development officer, said: “We are making good progress with our Budget-Luxe UK hotel upgrade programme and our current schedule includes upgrading a further 55 hotels this year. “As we are expected to have another bumper staycation year, we have fast tracked 25 of these hotels to be upgraded for the summer season. This includes two of our biggest hotels within the estate in London at Covent Garden and Kings Cross Royal Scot. As well as key staycation destinations such as Oxford, Southampton, Liverpool, Newport and Cheltenham.” He added: “This upgrade is our most radical transformation to date and is a complete overhaul of our existing design. Customer feedback has been extremely positive for our Budget-Luxe design and by the end of this year, around 20% of our UK hotels will feature our premium Budget-Luxe design from Fort William to Newquay.”