Travelodge acquires hotels in Milton Keynes, Chatham and Derby
The move is part of the budget hotel operator's plans to open 19 hotels in the UK this year.
Travelodge's acquistion of the 159-bedroom Ramada Encore in Milton Keynes will see it invest £1.2m in a refurbishment and re-brand of the property, which includes a 70-cover restaurant and two meeting rooms.
The refurbishment is expected to be completed this autumn when it will be re-named Milton Keynes Travelodge at The Hub. it will become the company's fourth hotel in Milton Keynes.
Travelodge's acquisition of the 90-bedroom Ramada Encore in Chatham marks the chain's first entrance into the town. It plans to make a £600k investment into the hotel, refurbishing all rooms with its new design and updating the reception area. It will trade as Travelodge Chatham Maritime.
The 100-bedroom Days Inn in Derby, located next to Derbyshire County Cricket Club, is currently undergoing a refurbishment, with plans to re-open this summer and trade as Travelodge Derby Cricket Ground. It will be the company's third hotel in Derby.
Sixty members of staff working across the three sites have transferred to Travelodge via TUPE, a spokesperson confirmed.
Paul Harvey, Travelodge managing director, property said: “We are delighted to have secured these three mid-market hotels and converted them into Travelodges. Britain has become a nation of value shoppers and as a result the budget hotel market continues to go from strength to strength.
"We see the potential to grow our network of hotels in a further 250 UK locations and currently have approximately 100 hotels in our development pipeline. With our effective business model we can easily convert existing hotels or buildings into thriving Travelodges. We look forward to creating more great places for our customers to stay and thousands more jobs over the years ahead.”