Travelodge has announced they are upgrading 60 hotels this year with a brand new makeover - including two in Greater Manchester. The redesign is made up of a 'Budget-Luxe' theme, with what the company describes as a 'premium' look and feel, and is the hotel chain's most radical transformation to date.
The budget hotel group has created a new signature navy blue brand colour, paying homage to the first Travelodge brand shade. This is used in the revamped reception areas that feature decorative wall panelling, soft LED lighting, stylish leather bench seating in tan, and wood-look flooring.
The rooms are also painted navy for the 'resting and relaxation space' where the king-size bed is, whilst the functional side of the room - where you can work at a desk and get ready - has a neutral colour palette. The bed sits within a lightbox bed frame that emits a glowing light and bedside tables with reading lights and USB charging points.
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Above the bed frame is a bespoke piece of artwork commissioned by Travelodge, and the en-suite bathrooms also feature a fresh white design. The restaurant space called the Bar Café - a place for guests to work, relax, and socialise - will have a contemporary look with a mix of colourful seating and tables, with statement lighting.
The design concept also has some sustainable initiatives, with the new carpet being made from recycled fishing nets - part of a project supporting clean ocean initiatives. The carpet backing is also made of old plastic bottles. Other features include low energy lighting, motion sensing controls and aerated showers and taps.
Craig Bonnar, Travelodge chief executive said: “Travelodge has been a trailblazer within the UK hotel sector since it opened the UK’s first budget hotel in 1985. Today we are once again evolving by launching a new budget-luxe premium look and feel hotel design whilst maintaining our great value price proposition.
"This is our most radical transformation to date and has been created in response to ever increasing expectations from customers. Britain is now a nation of budget travellers, with more of us choosing to stay in budget hotels than any other hotel type and thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches really matter in today’s world when staying away for business or leisure.”
This new design has been created on the success of the group’s budget chic hotel format, TravelodgePLUS, with feedback from the company’s largest consumer study - which surveyed around 5,000 UK business and leisure travellers.
The group intends to roll out the design across its UK estate, upgrading 60 hotels this year in popular business and staycation destinations across the UK. This includes two hotels in Greater Manchester; Manchester Piccadilly and Salford Quays.
Five out of the 60 hotels will be completed this month, including three hotels in London at Southwark, Vauxhall and Wembley as well as Southampton and Thame (Oxfordshire) close to Travelodge’s headquarters. Work has begun on the Salford Quays hotel, expected to be finished by May, while the Manchester Piccadilly hotel is set to be completed by September.
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