A ribbon cutting ceremony was held with Wellingborough and Rushden MP Peter Bone and Tony O’Brien, Travelodge’s UK development director, officially opening the hotel.
The group also announced at the event that Northamptonshire is a key growth area and that they are actively looking for a suitable site to open their first hotel in Corby. This expansion programme could represent a multi-million pound investment for third party investors and create 25 new jobs. Wellingborough Travelodge features 78-rooms, an on-site restaurant called The Bar Cafe and a car park.
It includes a new style reception area, a next generation room with features such as bedside charging ports, blackout curtains, a comfy armchair, and upgraded bar cafe. The new Travelodge design also includes a number of sustainable initiatives, including the new carpet being made from recycled fishing nets, which are part of a project supporting clean ocean initiatives, tackling more than 640,000 tonnes of discarded fishing nets currently impacting marine life. The carpet backing is also made of old plastic bottles. The other features include low energy lighting, motion sensing controls and aerated showers and taps.
Wellingborough Travelodge is managed by Craig Hoole, who has been working with the company for 26 years. Craig started with Travelodge in 1997, working as a team member at Kettering Thrapston Travelodge. Over the years, Craig has climbed the career ladder at Travelodge and is now the dual-site manager for the two Wellingborough Travelodge hotels (Wellingborough Rushden and Wellingborough Travelodges). Rooms at Wellingborough Travelodge are available from £38 at www.travelodge.co.uk.
Travelodge has a track record of acquiring a range of mid-market and budget hotels and converting them into successful Travelodge hotels. Over the past three decades, Travelodge has acquired hotels from Holiday Inn Express, Ramada Encore, Mercure, Comfort Inn, Thistle and Days Inn. This hotel is Travelodge’s first Ibis hotel acquisition. The previous landlord and the tenant, AccorInvest, decided to jointly terminate the lease and the property was forward sold to Kent-based property investment and development company, Cooper Estates, based on the simultaneous grant of a new, 25-year lease to Travelodge Hotels Limited, on standard, institutional terms, including five-yearly rent reviews in line with CPI, collared and capped.
Tony O’Brien, Travelodge’s UK development director, said: ”We are delighted to expand our hotel network with the acquisition of our first Ibis hotel in Wellingborough and become the town’s biggest hotel chain. "This new addition boosts our hotel network to nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain. "It also showcases that we operate an adaptable business model and we have the expertise to remodel not just existing hotels but empty office and retail space into a successful Travelodge hotel. “During the last five years we have opened more than 60 new hotels and this includes the acquisition of existing branded hotels, office and retail conversions, as well as new build and mixed-use developments. “As we look to the future, Northamptonshire is growing at pace and, due to its scenic and commuter-friendly location, it is attracting more business and leisure travellers than ever before. "However, there remains a shortage of good quality and great value accommodation across the county. "Therefore to fulfil this growing demand we are actively looking to open our first hotel in Corby. "This expansion programme could represent a multi-million pound investment for third party investors and create 25 new jobs for locals.” Peter Bone MP said: “It is great news that Travelodge have invested in opening a new hotel in Wellingborough. "It is a first-class hotel and I am sure it will be a great success.”
