Travelodge to resign from BHA
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Travelodge’s future CEO Guy Parsons has decided the hotel brand will resign from the British Hospitality Association (BHA). The BHA is a body that represents the hospitality sector from B&Bs to large corporate organisations. Speaking of the decision, Parsons said: “We see an opportunity to transform the hotel industry in the UK, and believe that we can do this best by representing ourselves rather than lobbying via the BHA.” Travelodge’s in-house PR team has championed several campaigns in the past from the ‘Save our Seaside’ campaign to building a coalition to stop the Mayor of London introducing a hotel development tax. Parsons added it would be “inappropriate” for the brand to be part of the BHA under its new expansion plans. “We have an aggressive growth plan in place, which will more than double the size of Travelodge hotels over the next ten years,” revealed Parsons. “We plan to do this by building new hotels and purchase existing struggling hotels and turning them into Travelodge properties. I think it’s entirely inappropriate that we should be part of the BHA at a time when we could be acquiring other members’ businesses.” He said the company’s interests were better served outside the organisation. “We are an industry that punches below our weight. Therefore we will continue to work with other leading businesses within the industry, to ensure that the Government truly understands the tax and regulation barriers our sector faces,” added Parsons. “We are sorry they have taken this decision but we will continue to support the hospitality industry,” a BHA spokesperson told Travel Daily.
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