This month Travelodge is opening seven hotels with four of the sites being located in London, making the budget hotel chain the largest hotelier in the capital for the Olympic Games. At a combined investment value of GBP 36 million, these new openings (in Balham, Enfield, ExCel and Woolwich) will mean that Travelodge has 54 hotels in London (7,024 rooms) and has hit the target it set three years ago of becoming the largest hotelier for the start of the Olympic Games.

These four new hotels have created 117 jobs across London and all new recruits have been hired from the long term unemployed. Travelodge currently employs 1,400 staff across the capital.

Being the largest hotelier now, does not mean that Travelodge will ease up on its development plans in the capital. A further four hotels are set to open after the Olympics with five scheduled to open in 2013, providing a total of 1,015 additional rooms. Travelodge's development team has also identified another 50 locations across London that would be suitable for a new hotel.

The reason for the expansion by Travelodge is that there is an under capacity of budget hotel rooms in London. A recent report by hotel industry analyst Melvin Gold has identified that in the capital just 17% of the hotel supply is provided by the branded budget sector, compared to over 28% in UK cities such as: Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow.

Grant Hearn, Chief Executive of Travelodge Hotels, said: "To be London's largest hotel brand at the start of the Olympics is an achievement that everyone in the business is proud of. Our growth strategy for the capital is not however based around the Olympics. We have long recognised that London has a shortage of good quality, affordable hotel rooms, not just in the centre but also in the suburbs.

"We will be opening a further four hotels in London after the Games and five more next year. We are also actively looking for a further fifty sites across the capital to ensure that we can meet the clear demand there is for affordable hotel rooms."

As well as the four hotels in London, Travelodge is also opening hotels in July at Hemel Hempstead, Cheshire Oaks and Tamworth. These openings will create 60 new jobs.

To help cash strapped Britons afford a break in the capital this summer, Travelodge has released over 30,000 rooms across London priced from GBP 25.50 to GBP 95 for the period between 19th June 2012 to 9th September 2012. In addition it has also launched a new summer of sports Bar Cafe menu where customers can enjoy a two course meal and a glass of wine or soft drink for GBP 9.95. For further information visit www.travelodge.co.uk .

Notes to editors:

  • The four London hotels that Travelodge are opening in July are located in: Balham, Enfield, ExCel and Woolwich.
  • The four hotels that Travelodge will open in London after the Olympic Games are located in: Bethnal Green, Bromley, Clapham and Sidcup.
  • In 2013, the hotels that Travelodge will be opening in the capital are located in: Charlton, Hounslow, Raynes Park, Vauxhall and Walthamstow.

About Travelodge

Founded in 1985, Travelodge is Britain's very first budget hotel chain and today is one of the largest budget hotel chains in the UK, with a portfolio of nearly 600 hotels and over 46,000 bedrooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain.

Welcoming over 22 million guests annually, the majority of Travelodge hotels are located in major cities, towns and holiday hotspots as well as by airports and key business hubs. With 90% of its hotels rated 4* or above on TripAdvisor, Travelodge is proud to offer a diverse customer base a good value experience – whether travelling for business or leisure. In 2023 approximately 50% of rooms were sold for less than £60.

In 2004, Travelodge was the first UK budget hotel brand to launch in Spain when it opened its first hotel in Madrid, closely followed by its first in Barcelona. Over the following years three further hotels were opened in Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia. In October last year the sixth hotel in Spain was opened – Madrid Coslada Aeropuerto Travelodge.

Our Spanish Travelodge hotels are a great base for both business and leisure guests, offering a wide range of room types, a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu at affordable prices as well as Wifi for all guests. All hotels are also pet-friendly.

For further information visit travelodge.co.uk or the Travelodge Hotels Limited LinkedIn page.