Travelodge has opened its first hotel in Thetford, situated at the new £8m leisure complex at Riverside.
The 62-room Thetford Travelodge, which is the company’s 534th hotel, represents an investment of £3 million for the landlord (Breckland Council) and has created 15 new jobs within the community.
Thetford Travelodge overlooks the River Little Ouse and has been built on the former site of the famous Anchor Hotel, an 18th century coaching inn that featured in the iconic BBC television programme, Dad’s Army. The very first scene of Dad’s Army was filmed in the hotel’s Norvic Room in 1968. The hotel was also a popular haunt for the cast during filming.
To mark the heritage site of where Thetford Travelodge sits, the hotel chain has placed a bespoke plaque on the exterior hotel wall detailing Thetford’s association with one of the UK’s most iconic TV programmes, Dad’s Army.
The Mayor of Thetford, Councillor Terry Jermy was joined by the platoon from the Dad’s Army Museum in Thetford and Travelodge Regional Director, Gary Steele to unveil the plaque at the hotel’s official opening ceremony.
Thetford Travelodge is Travelodge’s fifth local council co-development partnership. For this initiative, Breckland Council has funded the construction of the hotel on council land and Travelodge has undertaken a 25 year rental agreement to operate the hotel.
Travelodge operates six hotels across Norfolk which have been all been upgraded as part of the company’s £100 million nationwide modernisation programme. The hotels now offer a contemporary room design which has been designed by customers and feature the new bespoke luxurious king-size Travelodge Dreamer bed.
Gary Steele, Travelodge Regional Director said: “We are delighted to open our first hotel in Thetford at this landmark site and to continue the tradition of providing good value accommodation to Thetford’s visitors.
“The Norfolk economy is growing at pace, with the opening of Thetford Travelodge, we now operate six hotels across the county but with increasing visitor numbers to the area, there is still a shortage of good quality accommodation at a great value price. Therefore to meet this growing consumer demand we are looking for new hotel sites in: Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Kings Lynn and Cromer. These hotels will create 100 new jobs.”
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