Travelodge opened its 60th hotel in London today alongside a new scheme to get young people into employment.
The hotel chain, which first opened a hotel in London in 1988, unveiled its latest in Vauxhall with 148 rooms under a GBP15 million investment.
Half of the brands’ development in the capital has been opened since 2007, with CEO Grant Hearn outlining its continued growth strategy at today’s opening.
“This is just the beginning,” he said. “London’s hotel market, we believe, is still the strongest in the world but the branded budget sector is less than 20% of the market compared to other UK cities where the share sits at 30%. It is clear there are other suppliers or B&Bs that do not provide a standard service or offer poor value so there is demand for branded budget accommodation in the capital.”
The hotel chain has plans to open another 145 hotels in London’s 33 boroughs and has previously made it clear this will include non-central areas.
Deputy Mayor for Business & Enterprise Kit Malthouse joined the opening and thanked the chain for its job creation in the capital and support to tourism.
“On top of the problems with visas, transportation and airports we know that one of the things that is critical is a good spread of hotels from top-end right through the price range,” he said. “We don’t want London to appear expensive but a destination that people will visit again and again.”
Travelodge’s youth employment programme will enable young people to progress through the company into managerial roles. The chain already works with Job Centre Plus to fill its hotels with local unemployed people.
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