Travelodge opens Wimbledon site as part of London expansion plans

Travelodge has officially opened its third new-build budget luxe hotel with a new site in Wimbledon, as it looks to target further growth in London. Wimbledon Travelodge is the group’s 79th hotel in Lonson, positioning Travelodge as one of London’s biggest hotel chains, with hotels in 31 out of the 33 London Boroughs. The latest opening marks the group’s sixth new hotel opening this year and its third in London. The group said it has targeted London as a key growth area and now has a dedicated team in place to search for a further 127 suitable sites across the city for a Travelodge hotel. This expansion programme would more than double Travelodge’s presence in London and could represent an investment of nearly £3bn for third party investors whilst creating over 6,000 new jobs. To kick start this expansion programme Travelodge has secured four hotel deals already with hotels in development across London in Beckenham, Bermondsey, Chiswick and Peckham. These four hotels represent an investment of approximately £55m pounds for third party investors and will create around 150 new jobs. All four hotels are centrally located, close to tube and railway stations. Beckenham, Bermondsey and Chiswick Travelodge hotels will feature the group’s on-site restaurant called the Bar Cafe and dedicated SuperRoom floors. The 177-room hotel in Wimbledon is located off the High Street, just a few minutes walk from the station. It is a sustainable Travelodge hotel with a BREEAM Excellent rating, an Energy Performance Certificate rating of A and a number of sustainable features which includes: carpet made from recycled fishing nets which are part of a project supporting clean ocean initiatives, tackling over 640k tonnes of discarded fishing nets currently impacting marine life. Other features include low energy lighting, motion sensing controls and aerated showers and taps, as well as Air Source heat pumps designed to maximise efficiency in the room heating and cooling system. There is also a green roof top to attract wildlife and assist with drainage. Karen Broughton, Travelodge chief sales and marketing officer said: “We are delighted to open our third new-build budget luxe hotel in the heart of Wimbledon. This opening now boosts our portfolio to 596 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain. It also kickstarts our London expansion programme with the aim to more than double Travelodge’s presence across the Capital. “More Britons are choosing to stay in a budget hotel than any other hotel type and due to this rising demand, there is a shortage of good quality and low cost accommodation across London. To help fill this growing gap, we are actively searching for a further 127 hotel sites, and we are delighted to announce that we have already secured four hotel deals. These hotels are in development and on schedule to open in 2023. This London expansion programme could collectively represent an investment of over £3bn for third party investors and create around 6,000 new jobs.”