Formerly |
|
---|---|
Company type | Private limited company |
Industry | Hospitality |
Founded | 1985 |
Headquarters | Thame, England, United Kingdom |
Number of locations | Over 600 hotels in the UK (2024) [2] 11 hotels in Ireland (2024) [3] 11 hotels in Spain (2024) [4] |
Area served | United Kingdom Republic of Ireland Spain |
Key people | |
Products | Hotels |
Revenue | £909.9m (31 December 2022) |
EBITDA profit of £212.9m (31 December 2022) [3] | |
£154.2m (31 December 2022) [3] | |
Total assets | £888.4m (net) (2010) [3] [ needs update ] |
Owner | GoldenTree Asset Management [5] |
Number of employees | Over 13,000 (2024) [2] |
Website | travelodge |
Travelodge Hotels Limited, trading as Travelodge, is a private company operating in the hotels and hospitality industry throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain.
In the early 1970s, Charles Forte imported the Travelodge brand from the United States with the hope of establishing it in the UK. The first Travelodge locations opened in 1973 in former Excelsior Motor Lodge branches, a brand of motels owned by Forte which were located near busy roads.[ citation needed ] In 1976, Trusthouse Forte would open Little Chef Lodges; these were attached to Little Chef restaurants and the first chain of budget hotels in the UK. [6] In 1988, the two chains were combined and rebranded to become "Forte Travelodge".
In 1995, Travelodge was bought by Granada, when the Forte Group (formerly Trusthouse Forte) underwent a hostile takeover. Granada decided to open Travelodges away from the roadside, with the first urban Travelodge opening in 1997. In 2001, Granada merged and then de-merged with Compass Group, where their hospitality interests were transferred to Compass.[ citation needed ]
In February 2003, Travelodge and Little Chef were sold to Permira, who created the special-purpose entity, TLLC Group Holdings Ltd and moved Travelodge's headquarters from Toddington in Bedfordshire to Thame in Oxfordshire in June 2003. [7]
In 2004, it bought the Moat House hotel on Drury Lane for £11m, and the 'London Farringdon' and 'London Islington' Thistle hotels. [8] In July of that year, it decided to sell 136 of its hotels for £400m, then lease them back.[ citation needed ]
In October 2005, Permira sold Little Chef to The People's Restaurant Group for £52 million, whilst retaining Travelodge. [9]
In August 2006, Travelodge was sold to Dubai International Capital (DIC), a United Arab Emirates-based company, for £675 million. [10]
In mid-2010, Travelodge bought 52 Innkeeper's Lodge properties from the Mitchells & Butlers pub chain, leaving less than half the original number of Innkeeper's Lodge hotels. In 2011, Travelodge announced a tie-up with British supermarket Waitrose to develop three joint sites in the UK. [11]
In February 2012, DIC had to prepare a bailout package due to a large debt of £17.5 million that was added to Travelodge's balance sheet following its purchase; despite significant earnings since 2006, these could not cover the debt repayments and the company recorded a debt of £517m in 2011. [12] The company undert passing to New York-based hedge funds GoldenTree Asset Management and Avenue Capital Group, as well as Goldman Sachs. [13] On 17 August 2012 Travelodge UK confirmed [14] that the financial restructuring would be through a company voluntary arrangement which would include:
However, Travelodge also stated that it was no longer viable to operate 49 hotels (8% of the estate), for which the company would now seek new operators.
Hotels transferred to other hotel operators include Edinburgh Belford transferred to Britannia Hotels, Blackpool transferred to Ibis, Huddersfield, Liphook and Walsall transferred to Metro Inns, and Bolton Services, Eastbourne, Edinburgh Haymarket, Manchester Airport, Manchester Worsley and Wentbridge transferred to independent operators. Travelodge's hotels in Coventry and Sutton Scotney (North and South) were closed. Travelodge UK also operate eleven hotels in the Republic of Ireland and five hotels in Spain. In late 2023, they also announced their new contactless hotel in St Albans. [15]
Travelodge is known for its budget style hotels and room types.[ citation needed ] They have a range of hotels across the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain. Travelodge offers many different room types, from their iconographic standard budget style to a more sleek-high end look. In 2022, they introduced a new look and style and began refitting their existing hotels as well as any newly opened sites. [16] During this refurb, they renovated the Bar Cafés, reception areas, and rooms & bathrooms. [17]
This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality .(October 2023) |
In 2006, the BBC programme Watchdog highlighted Travelodge's policy of overbooking their hotels, turning guests away even when they have booked against a credit card, which resulted in leaving customers stranded late at night with nowhere to sleep. [18] In 2018, Watchdog Live on The One Show returned to the issue, with further examples of Travelodge failing to provide rooms on arrival to customers with 'guaranteed' bookings. [19] The issue has been widely reported in subsequent years across the media, [20] [21] [22] highlighting that Travelodge would oversell expensive hotels, and then relocate travellers to cheaper alternatives in less desirable locations, yet not refund the difference. A report by The Guardian highlighted that customers were at risk of having nowhere to sleep even though they had pre-paid for their rooms, and that Travelodge offers no compensation for customers who are affected. [23] A report in the Daily Mirror claimed the practice was a breach-of-contract by Travelodge. [24]
To advertise its new location in Plymouth in 2004, Travelodge ran a poster campaign using the phrase "Other hotels in Plymouth fleece you, we prefer duvets" which was not well received by other hotels in the area and was reported to the Advertising Standards Authority. [25]
In March 2020, The Guardian reported that Travelodge gave homeless families and key workers only two hours' notice to leave when it shut 360 of its UK hotels in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Although the government had told hotels to close, this did not apply to those accommodating key workers or homeless people. [26] In May 2023, The Guardian reported that homeless families being housed in the Enfield Travelodge were being removed due to an upcoming Beyonce concert set to take place at the nearby Tottenham Hotspur stadium between 29 May and 4 June. [27]
Charles Carmine Forte, Baron Forte was an Italian-born Scottish hotelier who founded the leisure and hotels conglomerate that ultimately became the Forte Group.
The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by Carte's family for over a century. The Savoy was the first hotel in Britain to introduce electric lights throughout the building, electric lifts, bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms, constant hot and cold running water and many other innovations. Carte hired César Ritz as manager and Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine; they established an unprecedented standard of quality in hotel service, entertainment and elegant dining, attracting royalty and other rich and powerful guests and diners.
César Ritz, born Cäsar Ritz, was a Swiss hotelier and founder of several hotels, most famously the Hôtel Ritz in Paris and the Ritz and Carlton Hotels in London. He was an early hotel chain founder known as "King of Hoteliers, and Hotelier to Kings," and it is from his name and that of his hotels that the term ritzy derives.
Hotels.com,L.P. is a global website for booking hotel rooms online and by telephone. The company has 85 websites in 34 languages, and lists over 325,000 hotels in approximately 19,000 locations. Its inventory includes hotels and B&Bs, and some condos and other types of commercial lodging. Hotels.com was established in 1991 as the Hotel Reservations Network (HRN). In 2001, it became part of Expedia, Inc. and in 2002, changed its name to Hotels.com. The company is operated by Hotels.com LP, a limited partnership subsidiary located in Dallas, Texas, in the United States.
Gary Rhodes was an English restaurateur and television chef, known for his love of English cuisine and ingredients and for his distinctive spiked hair style. He fronted shows such as MasterChef, MasterChef USA, Hell's Kitchen, and his own series, Rhodes Around Britain. As well as owning several restaurants, Rhodes also had his own line of cookware and bread mixes. Rhodes went on to feature in the ITV1 programme Saturday Cooks, as well as the UKTV Food show Local Food Hero before his sudden death at age 59.
Travelodge or Travelodge by Wyndham refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. As of December 31, 2018, it had 435 properties with 31,005 rooms.
Le Méridien is an American upscale, design-focused international hotel brand with a European perspective. It was originally founded by Air France in 1972 and was later based in the United Kingdom. Marriott International now owns the chain. As of June 2021, it had a portfolio of 109 open hotels with 29,439 rooms and a pipeline of 37 hotels with 9,585 upcoming rooms.
Premier Inn Limited is a British limited service hotel chain and the UK's largest hotel brand, with more than 800 hotels, with over 72,000 rooms. It operates hotels in a variety of locations including city centres, suburbs and airports, competing with the likes of Travelodge and Ibis hotels. The company was established by Whitbread as Travel Inn in 1987, to compete with Travelodge. Whitbread bought Premier Lodge in July 2004 and merged it with Travel Inn to form the current business under the name Premier Travel Inn, which was then shortened to the current name in October 2007. Premier Inn accounts for 70% of Whitbread's earnings.
Overselling or overbooking is sale of a volatile good or service in excess of actual supply. Overselling is a common practice in the travel and hospitality sectors, in which it is expected that some people will cancel. The practice occurs as an intentional business strategy in which sellers expect that some buyers will not consume all of the resources they are entitled to, or that some buyers will cancel. The practice of overselling aims to ensure that 100% of available supply will be used, resulting in the maximum return on investment. If more customers than the seller expects do wish to purchase or use the sold commodity, it may leave some customers lacking a service they expected to receive.
Sir Rocco Giovanni Forte is an English hotelier and the chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels.
Thomas Cook Group plc was a global travel group, headquartered in the United Kingdom and listed on the London Stock Exchange from its formation on 19 June 2007 by the merger of Thomas Cook AG — successor to Thomas Cook & Son — and MyTravel Group until 23 September 2019, when it went into compulsory liquidation. The group operated as a tour operator and airline, and also operated travel agencies in Europe. At the time of the group's collapse, approximately 21,000 worldwide employees were left without jobs and 600,000 customers were left abroad, triggering the UK's largest peacetime repatriation.
Forte Group plc was a British hotel and restaurant company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Granada in 1996. Its head office was in the London Borough of Camden.
Britannia Hotels is a British budget hotel group with 64 hotels in Great Britain. The company also owns the Pontins Holiday Parks.
Oliver Peter Patrick Peyton,, is an Irish entrepreneur, restaurateur and television personality.
Alessandra Maria Luigia Anna Polizzi di Sorrentino, better known as Alex Polizzi, is an English hotelier, businesswoman, and television personality. Since 2008, she has appeared on The Hotel Inspector on Channel 5.
Little Chef was a chain of roadside restaurants in the United Kingdom founded in 1958 by the entrepreneur Sam Alper, who was inspired by American diners. The chain was famous for the "Olympic Breakfast" – its version of a full English breakfast – as well as its "Early Starter" and "Jubilee Pancakes". The restaurants were mostly located on A roads, often paired with a Travelodge motel, a Burger King and a petrol station. The chain was also located along motorways in Moto Services, for a time.
Booking.com is one of the largest online travel agencies. It is headquartered in Amsterdam, and is a subsidiary of Booking Holdings. Its mobile app is the most downloaded mobile app in the travel agency category, however it has some of the worst ratings on the internet with Trust Pilot rating it 1.4 stars. Booking.com provides lodging reservation services for approximately 3.4 million properties, including 475,000 hotels, motels, and resorts and 2.9 million homes, apartments in over 220 countries and territories and in over 40 languages. It also sells flights in 55 markets and tours and activities in more than 1,300 cities. However the success comes at a cost, many hotel partners say they don't get paid for months at a time, leaving small hoteliers out of pocket.
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The Chiltern Firehouse is a restaurant and boutique hotel located at 1 Chiltern Street in the Marylebone area of London, England. It occupies the Grade II listed building of the former Marylebone Fire Station, originally known as the Manchester Square Fire Station. It is owned by André Balazs, an American hotelier, who also owns the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, California. The head chef is Luke Hunns.
Watchdog researchers booked three rooms at a Travelodge in London. Each went to check in late at night but well within Travelodge's terms and conditions. All were told the hotel was full and that, despite their bookings, there were no rooms available.
One customer was on the sharp end of an overbooking at a Travelodge recently after being told that the branch in which the room had been paid for in advance was now full, so a bed would be found at a nearby property.
Pensioners David and Jean Davidson found living in a Travelodge hotel was a cheaper option than an old people's home and have never looked back.
Media related to Travelodge (United Kingdom) at Wikimedia Commons