Travelodge wants to check in with Shropshire Council

Travelodge is working with local authorities to open new hotels in a bid to support local regeneration, create jobs and boost the local economy.

During the last three years, it has completed seven local authority development partnership deals, including one in Telford, due to open in 2018.

The agreements have had unique funding structures, which allow local authorities to use existing assets, create jobs, generate income, and help to regenerate land in strategically key locations.

Hotels in the programme are built on surplus local authority land, with the money provided either through the local authority’s internal resource or via low-cost funding from the Public Works Loan Board or third party funding.

After they are finished, local authorities have the choice of either retaining ownership of the hotel and receiving an annual rent into the council’s revenue budget or selling the hotel with Travelodge as its operator.

Travelodge has a growth strategy in place to grow its business with over 200 hotels over the next ten years and working in partnership with local authorities is a key route to help deliver this programme.

The hotel chain’s latest opening, Dudley Town Centre Travelodge, was funded via an innovative structure involving Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Hinton Properties, Travelodge and Aviva.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge chief executive, said: “More and more local authorities are under pressure to find ways to help regenerate their historic town centres and local communities. Adding a low-cost hotel like Travelodge is an increasingly attractive choice, as it draws visitors, creates jobs and helps boost the local economy.”

“Our customers are travelling more frequently and we are opening new hotels to ensure we are in locations where they want to be."

"We are looking for more sites to drive our expansion programme and today we are writing to more than 200 other local authorities, to invite them to consider how Travelodge can act as a catalyst to drive their local development agenda.”