London is key to Travelodge’s rapid growth ambitions
TRAVELODGE’S London hotels helped the firm reap an eight per cent rise in revenue for the first quarter of this year.
Hotels in the capital saw a surge in revenue of 16 per cent, compared to just four per cent across the rest of the country. The firm says it is now on track to become the biggest hotelier in London by the start of the Olympic Games in 2012.
To achieve this lofty ambition it said yesterday four new hotels are slated to be completed in the city over the next two years. They will be located in Vauxhall, Edgware, Bexleyheath and the Excel Centre. These are in addition to hotels already announced including sites in the City and Bethnal Green.
Altogether 17,000 new rooms are in the pipeline with 26 hotels due to open this year.
Chief executive Grant Hearn told City A.M.: “London has been the foundation for our growth. There were not enough of our type of hotels in the capital and this is something we’ve been addressing. We’re really building up a head of steam now and our new list of hotels is impressive.
“It’s very important for us because the revenue per room in London is higher. We have also been helped by the weak pound making our hotels relatively cheaper.
“From the results I’ve seen the rest of the industry is a little bit behind where we are.”
Meanwhile, the Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge became the first in the UK to offer iPads in its rooms to selected guests.