Travelodge acquires first Ibis hotel

Travelodge has acquired its first Ibis hotel, and is now set to open the group’s second hotel in Wellingborough and 10th hotel in Northamptonshire.

Over the last few months, the group has also upgraded the hotel to a new premium look and feel brand specification. 

To mark the opening, the hotel chain hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony where local MP Peter Bone and Tony O’Brien, Travelodge’s UK development director, officially opened the hotel.  

The group also announced at the opening event that Northamptonshire is a key growth area and that it is actively looking for a suitable site to open its first hotel in Corby. It said this expansion could represent a multi-million pound investment for third party investors and create 25 new jobs.

Wellingborough Travelodge features 78-rooms, an on-site restaurant called The  Bar Cafe and a car-park. The hotel has been upgraded to the new Travelodge look and feel design, including low cost efficiencies “with the added benefit of thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches throughout its interiors”. 

This includes a new style reception area, a next generation room with features such as bedside charging ports, blackout curtains, a comfy armchair, and upgraded bar cafe. The new design also includes a number of sustainable initiatives. 

Wellingborough Travelodge is managed by Craig Hoole, who has been working with the company for 26 years. Hoole started with Travelodge in 1997, working at  Kettering Thrapston Travelodge. He is now the dual-site manager for the two Wellingborough Travelodge hotels (Wellingborough Rushden and Wellingborough Travelodges).     

The move comes as Travelodge said it has a track record of acquiring a range of mid-market and budget hotels and converting them into successful Travelodge hotels. Over the last three decades, Travelodge has acquired hotels from the following brands:  Holiday Inn Express, Ramada Encore, Mercure, Comfort Inn, Thistle and Days Inn. 

This hotel is Travelodge’s first Ibis hotel acquisition. The previous landlord and the tenant, AccorInvest, decided to jointly terminate the lease and the property was forward sold to Kent-based property investment and development company, Cooper Estates, based on the simultaneous grant of a new, 25-year lease to Travelodge Hotels Limited, on standard, institutional terms, including five-yearly rent reviews in line with CPI, collared and capped. 

Tony O’Brien, Travelodge’s UK Development director said: ”We are delighted to expand our hotel network with the acquisition of our first Ibis hotel in Wellingborough and become the town’s biggest hotel chain. This new addition boosts our hotel network to nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain.  It also showcases that we operate an adaptable business model and we have the expertise to remodel not just existing hotels but empty office and retail space into a successful Travelodge hotel.

“During the last five years we have opened more than 60 new hotels and this includes the acquisition of existing branded hotels, office and retail conversions, as well as new build and mixed-use developments. As we look to the future, Northamptonshire is growing at pace and, due to its scenic and commuter-friendly location, it is attracting more business and leisure travellers than ever before.”