Travelodge UK
Encyclopedia
Travelodge Hotels Limited is a private company operating in the hotels and hospitality industry throughout the United Kingdom
. Branded simply as Travelodge or Travelodge UK, it is the second largest in the budget hotel sector (behind Premier Inn) and third biggest hotel chain in the UK by number of bedrooms (31,600 as at 31.12.2010). The company states it is "the UK's No.1 Branded Hotel Company".
Travelodge Hotels Ltd is under separate ownership from the Travelodge
chain of the United States
.
bought the US Travelodge brand and established it in Britain
. He attached them to many of his Little Chef
s as Little Lodge before later rebranding them as Travelodges.
Travelodge was formerly a division of Forte Hotels, and was known as Forte Travelodge. Since then, it has become a company in its own right and has over three hundred Travelodge hotels, mainly located beside motorways and major roads, although more and more hotels are being opened in city centres. The first hotel was opened in 1985 at Barton-under-Needwood
on the A38
near Lichfield
, Staffordshire
.
, when the Forte Group
(formerly Trusthouse Forte) underwent a very unharmonious hostile takeover
. In 2001, when Granada de-merged (creating Moto), it became owned by Compass Group
. In 2003, it was acquired by Permira
under the name of TLLC Group Holdings Ltd (113 Little Chef
s, owned by TLLC, were nextdoor to Travelodges), moving its headquarters from Toddington
in Bedfordshire
to Thame
in Oxfordshire
in June 2003. In August 2006, it was sold to Dubai International Capital
(based in United Arab Emirates
) for £675m.
In mid-2010 Travelodge bought 52 Innkeeper's Lodge
properties from the Mitchells & Butlers
pub chain, leaving less than half the original number of Innkeeper's Lodge hotels.
Some of the older roadside locations have nothing but the hotel itself and a petrol station, with no particular provision for meals. Some are located beside a Little Chef
, although this is becoming less common (Little Chef and Travelodge were previously owned by the same company).
Many Moto service stations have a Travelodge attached, and some hotels may be close to a pub or family restaurant.
In town and city centre locations, licensed 'Bar Cafes' within the hotel are common, serving both breakfast and evening meals.
Some hotels in the Republic of Ireland
are next to a Metzo
restaurant.
Many hotel sites are also located next door to a Harvester
or Toby Carvery restaurant.
Travelodge UK also operate eleven hotels in the Republic of Ireland
and three hotels in Spain
.
80% of bookings are now made online.
Watchdog
programme highlighted Travelodge's policy of overbooking their hotels, turning guests away even when they have booked against a credit card.
When a whistleblower
revealed that overbooking comes before anything else, Travelodge admitted to this practice and updated their website to confirm this. Guests who are found in this position are found accommodation nearby at no cost to them, but if no rooms are available nearby the reservation is cancelled and the customer is refunded. Travelodge say that overbooking is so more guests can make use of rooms that would otherwise be empty; however, the whistleblower programme contained footage of an internal Travelodge training video which stated that their business model required them to run all their hotels at maximum capacity, and that a 'last man standing' policy would ensure this always occurred.
, stayed at a Newark
, Worksop
and a Grantham
, Lincolnshire
location for a combined total of 22 years, making the lodge their home. The retired navy sailor and his wheelchair-using wife found the cost of their stay comparable with living in a house, but with the benefits of maid service and meals. Following their departure, the lodge named their room "The Davidson Suite."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Branded simply as Travelodge or Travelodge UK, it is the second largest in the budget hotel sector (behind Premier Inn) and third biggest hotel chain in the UK by number of bedrooms (31,600 as at 31.12.2010). The company states it is "the UK's No.1 Branded Hotel Company".
Travelodge Hotels Ltd is under separate ownership from the Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
chain of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Ownership
Forte
In the 1980s, Lord ForteCharles Forte, Baron Forte
Charles Forte, Baron Forte was a British caterer and hotelier. His obituary in The Guardian obituary stated that: He created a worldwide empire of restaurants and hotels from virtually nothing-Early life:...
bought the US Travelodge brand and established it in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He attached them to many of his Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
s as Little Lodge before later rebranding them as Travelodges.
Travelodge was formerly a division of Forte Hotels, and was known as Forte Travelodge. Since then, it has become a company in its own right and has over three hundred Travelodge hotels, mainly located beside motorways and major roads, although more and more hotels are being opened in city centres. The first hotel was opened in 1985 at Barton-under-Needwood
Barton-under-Needwood
Barton-under-Needwood is a large village in Staffordshire, England, a mile from the A38 between Burton upon Trent and Lichfield. It has a population of about 5000, many of whom commute to Burton or Lichfield or further afield to places such as Derby or Birmingham- Overview :The village has a...
on the A38
A38 road
The A38, part of which is also known as the Devon Expressway, is a major A-class trunk road in England.The road runs from Bodmin in Cornwall to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. It is long, making it one of the longest A-roads in England. It was formerly known as the Leeds — Exeter Trunk Road,...
near Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
Granada
In 1995, it was bought by GranadaGranada Ltd.
Granada plc is a former British conglomerate which was best known as the former parent of the Manchester-based Granada Television....
, when the Forte Group
Forte Group
Forte Group plc was a British hotel and restaurant company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Granada PLC.-History:...
(formerly Trusthouse Forte) underwent a very unharmonious hostile takeover
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
. In 2001, when Granada de-merged (creating Moto), it became owned by Compass Group
Compass Group
Compass Group plc is a global contract foodservice and support services company headquartered near London, United Kingdom. It is the largest contract foodservice company in the world and has operations in over 50 countries...
. In 2003, it was acquired by Permira
Permira
Permira is a United Kingdom-based private equity firm with global reach. The firm advises funds with a total committed capital of approximately €20 billion....
under the name of TLLC Group Holdings Ltd (113 Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
s, owned by TLLC, were nextdoor to Travelodges), moving its headquarters from Toddington
Toddington, Bedfordshire
Toddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England which is situated 5 miles NNW of Luton, north of Dunstable, south west of Woburn and 35 miles NNW of London on the A5120 and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway and lends its...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
to Thame
Thame
Thame is a town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about southwest of the Buckinghamshire town of Aylesbury. It derives its toponym from the River Thame which flows past the north side of the town....
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
in June 2003. In August 2006, it was sold to Dubai International Capital
Dubai International Capital
Dubai International Capital is the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, a holding company and sovereign wealth fund of the government of Dubai and its ruling family and has been over-leveraged to the point whereby the company is not able to service its interest payments in a normal fashion...
(based in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
) for £675m.
In mid-2010 Travelodge bought 52 Innkeeper's Lodge
Innkeeper's Lodge
Innkeeper's Lodge is a UK budget hotel chain that is owned by Mitchells & Butlers Group.-Overview:Innkeeper's Lodge have 91 locations across the UK. Some are new hotels, some pubs with rooms and others historic buildings....
properties from the Mitchells & Butlers
Mitchells & Butlers
Mitchells & Butlers plc runs around 2,000 managed pubs, bars and restaurants throughout the United Kingdom. The Company's headquarters is in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom...
pub chain, leaving less than half the original number of Innkeeper's Lodge hotels.
Facilities
A new room design has been introduced in new buildings, and newly refurbished hotels; featuring a new colour scheme and LCD TVs. In most hotels, there are double rooms, family rooms and disabled rooms. All rooms feature en-suite bathroom, free tea & coffee. A charged for wi-fi internet connection is available at all hotels.Dining
Eating and drinking facilities vary at locations a great deal.Some of the older roadside locations have nothing but the hotel itself and a petrol station, with no particular provision for meals. Some are located beside a Little Chef
Little Chef
Little Chef is a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom, founded in 1958 and owned by the UK private equity group RCapital. Little Chef's previous owners were The People's Restaurant Group Ltd., a company belonging to British catering entrepreneurs Simon Heath and Lawrence Wosskow,...
, although this is becoming less common (Little Chef and Travelodge were previously owned by the same company).
Many Moto service stations have a Travelodge attached, and some hotels may be close to a pub or family restaurant.
In town and city centre locations, licensed 'Bar Cafes' within the hotel are common, serving both breakfast and evening meals.
Some hotels in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
are next to a Metzo
Metzo
Metzo is a restaurant chain in the Republic of Ireland, that is owned by Egan Hospitality.Some restaurants are located next to a Travelodge hotel....
restaurant.
Many hotel sites are also located next door to a Harvester
Harvester (restaurant)
Harvester Restaurants is a popular family farmhouse-style licensed restaurant chain with more than 170 outlets in the United Kingdom.-History:-Courage:...
or Toby Carvery restaurant.
Commercial strategy
In 2004, it bought the Drury Lane Moat House hotel for £11m, and the London Farringdon and London Islington Thistle hotels. In July of that year, it decided to sell 136 of its hotels for £400m, then lease them back.Travelodge UK also operate eleven hotels in the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and three hotels in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
80% of bookings are now made online.
Booking policy
On 24 October 2006 the BBC OneBBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
programme highlighted Travelodge's policy of overbooking their hotels, turning guests away even when they have booked against a credit card.
When a whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
revealed that overbooking comes before anything else, Travelodge admitted to this practice and updated their website to confirm this. Guests who are found in this position are found accommodation nearby at no cost to them, but if no rooms are available nearby the reservation is cancelled and the customer is refunded. Travelodge say that overbooking is so more guests can make use of rooms that would otherwise be empty; however, the whistleblower programme contained footage of an internal Travelodge training video which stated that their business model required them to run all their hotels at maximum capacity, and that a 'last man standing' policy would ensure this always occurred.
New building style
In 2008, Travelodge started a new building style, in which old shipping containers were stacked together in a metal frame and covered over to create the appearance of a regular hotel. The containers were then refurbished to the usual company standard.David and Jean Davidson's stay
In 2007, media around the world reported that David and Jean Davidson, a retired couple originally from SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, stayed at a Newark
Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 , and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way...
, Worksop
Worksop
Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...
and a Grantham
Grantham
Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It bestrides the East Coast Main Line railway , the historic A1 main north-south road, and the River Witham. Grantham is located approximately south of the city of Lincoln, and approximately east of Nottingham...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
location for a combined total of 22 years, making the lodge their home. The retired navy sailor and his wheelchair-using wife found the cost of their stay comparable with living in a house, but with the benefits of maid service and meals. Following their departure, the lodge named their room "The Davidson Suite."
External links
- Travelodge (United Kingdom)
- Travelodge (Republic of Ireland)
- Travelodge (Spain)
- Travelodge at motorway services