Travelodge opens East Grinstead hotel

Travelodge has opened its first hotel in East Grinstead and has announced it plans to open eight more in West Sussex. The hotel has been styled in Travelodge’s latest brand design and offers 79 family, double and accessible rooms. Rooms feature the company’s signature king size beds, mood lighting surround and has bedside charging points. Family rooms also include two individual beds for children. Travelodge rooms also feature LED ceiling lighting, 32 inch Freeview TV, WiFi and free in-room tea and coffee making facilities. At the official event opening of East Grinstead Travelodge, the company also announced that West Sussex was a “key growth area” and said it was actively looking for a further eight hotel sites across the county. Target locations include: Brighton, Bognor, Burgess Hill, Chichester, Hastings, Haywards Heath, Hove and Shoreham-by-the-Sea. This level of expansion would represent an estimated investment of approximately £65m for third party investors and create around 160 new jobs – it would also boost Travelodge’s portfolio to 19 hotels in West Sussex. Tony O’Brien, Travelodge UK development director said: “We are delighted to be celebrating our 30th anniversary in West Sussex by opening our first hotel in East Grinstead. Over the last three decades, Travelodge has become famous across the county for offering unbeatable value and making travel affordable for everyone, which has helped attract more business and leisure travellers to the area. “As we look to the future, West Sussex is a target growth area for Travelodge. The local economy is growing at pace and with increasing visitor numbers to the area, there is still a shortage of good quality accommodation at a great value price.” East Grinstead Travelodge is managed by Ewa Stecko, who joined the company 10 years ago as a housekeeping team member. Stecko, East Grinstead Travelodge hotel manager added: “I am very proud to have built a fantastic team who are as passionate as me about delivering great customer service. Our hotel has got off to a flying start and customers are loving our rooms, especially the luxurious Travelodge Dreamer bed.” “Looking ahead, business on the books is very encouraging and we are set for a very busy festive season. This is great news for the local economy too; as research shows our customers will spend £2m annually with local businesses during their stay.”