Travelodge, the budget hotel operator, has announced plans to open 100 small hotels in prime locations by 2020, with former pubs among the properties being sought.
The new “Metro” hotels will have between 20 and 40 rooms. Travelodge will be targeting sites in highly-priced, sought after locations including the City of London and London boroughs such as Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster, Fulham and Richmond.
Major UK cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Cardiff, York, Bristol, Chester, St Albans and Edinburgh will also be targeted, along with popular holiday hotspots such as Cornwall, Devon, the Lake District, the Scottish Highlands, and sites near theme parks.
“Properties that will be considered under this new scheme include: floors in office buildings, business parks, pubs, old cinemas / theaters, snooker halls, listed buildings, retail outlets and derelict buildings,” the company said.
Last month Travelodge announced plans to link up with several pub groups, including JD Wetherspoon, Greene King and Mitchells & Butlers, as part of a £100m expansion programme. A spokeswoman said the Metro plan is separate to the pub developments.
The Metro announcement is part of Travelodge’s plan to expand from 472 to 1,100 hotels, and from 32,000 to 100,000 rooms, by 2025.
Chief executive Guy Parsons said: “Following the success of our Edinburgh Metro prototype hotel and the conversion of 52 Innkeeper’s Lodges to the Travelodge brand, we have discovered just how profitable smaller hotels can be for us. Therefore to accelerate our growth strategy we are going to start building ‘Metro’ style hotels across the UK.
“This concept will allow us to open hotels where other hoteliers can’t develop.
“The Metro model will also allow us to expand in our top performing locations where there are few 60-plus room sites available. Downsizing our hotel building requirements will open hundreds of development opportunities for us."
