Pioneers of the UK budget hotel sector, Travelodge, has announced that it is evolving its core brand product to a new budget-luxe premium look and feel design – whilst maintaining its great value price proposition.
This new design has been created on the success of the group’s budget chic hotel format, TravelodgePLUS with feedback from the company’s largest consumer study – which surveyed around 5,000 UK business and leisure travellers to find the psychographics of the modern budget traveller. Key findings revealed that modern travellers crave style, choice and little homely touches to make it easier to work, rest and relax both inside and outside of the room.
In response to this consumer insight, the Travelodge interiors team have remodelled their core product with a new budget-luxe design that includes all the low cost efficiencies you would expect from Travelodge, but with the added benefit of thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches throughout its interiors.
This is underpinned by the introduction of a new signature rich navy blue brand colour which pays homage to the first iconic Travelodge blue brand colour- chosen for its calming and uplifting qualities.
The new Travelodge budget-luxe design includes a timeless classic, elegant style reception which is the hub of the hotel. A next generation room which has been smartly devised to create a multi-dimensional space by utilising the new luxurious signature Travelodge navy blue colour for the R&R (resting and relaxing) section of the room and a serene colour palette for the functional and energising side of the room to work and get ready. Plus a contemporary designed restaurant called the Bar Café – that features spaces for guests to work, relax and socialise.
The Travelodge budget-luxe design also includes a number of sustainable initiatives. This includes the new carpet being made from recycled fishing nets which are part of a project supporting clean ocean initiatives, tackling over 640k tonnes of discarded fishing nets currently impacting marine life.
The group intends to roll out its new budget-luxe design across its UK estate and has kick-started this programme with a multi-million pound investment to upgrade 60 hotels this year in popular business and staycation destinations across the UK. Five of these hotels will be completed this month, including three hotels in London at Southwark, Vauxhall and Wembley as well as Southampton and Thame (Oxfordshire) close to Travelodge’s headquarters.
“Travelodge has been a trailblazer within the UK hotel sector since it opened the UK’s first budget hotel in 1985,” comments Craig Bonnar, Travelodge Chief Executive. “Today we are once again evolving by launching a new budget-luxe premium look and feel hotel design whilst maintaining our great value price proposition.
“This is our most radical transformation to date and has been created in response to ever increasing expectations from customers. Britain is now a nation of budget travellers, with more of us choosing to stay in budget hotels than any other hotel type and thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches really matter in today’s world when staying away for business or leisure.”
