Travelodge smashed all sales records this week, following the launch of its summer sale. The promotion created an additional 100 bookings per minute and generated a 100% rise in website hits. This positioned www.travelodge.co.uk in the number two position on Hitwise on its first day of trading.
For the summer sale, the hotel chain released an additional 100,000 rooms at £15 throughout its 318 hotels within the UK and for the first time ever in Spain.
On the sale launch date, the company website (www.travelodge.co.uk) was hit with a stampede of 2 million visitors, all trying to get a £15 room. This generated a 100% increase in hits, which is the highest ever received. Eight times more room sales were made and 20% of sale inventory was sold. This resulted in www.travelodge.co.uk accelerating to the number two position within the Hitwise Travel Destinations and Accommodation category during the weekend of the 8th and 9th June 2007 (based on a total of 1087 UK websites tracked by Hitwise).
The first top three UK cities to sell out first were Edinburgh, Cardiff and Aberdeen - for holiday hot spots it was Kendal, Penrith and St Austell.
Guy Parsons, Travelodge Chief Operating Officer said; "The £15 summer sale has had a phenomenal start; we have broken all sales records by selling an additional 100 rooms per minute. This just demonstrates the power of our low cost model which is empowering more people to get away and stay in hotels."
Six and half million people stay with Travelodge each year and 85% of the bookings are conducted online with over five million reservations made each year. Travelodge's web offer is driven by a price strategy akin to the budget airline model, where all of the best rates are available online and in advance.
The website has a membership of 500,000 members and Travelodge believes that this number will grow to a million by the end of 2007.
In April 2007, Travelodge was the first hotel chain to launch an online travel insurance service. It also launched 'My Travelodge Rewards', an online revenue generating retailing channel allowing customers to purchase tickets to events and attractions. The technology will also enable the hotel chain to partner with a broader range of online retailers to sell products customers can use during their stay.
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For further information, please contact:
Shakila Ahmed, PR Manager
T: 01844 35 8638
M: 07802 702 499
Notes to editor:
July 20th, 27th and 28th are the most popular dates customers have booked a £15 room for
£15 rooms are available to book online now at www.travelodge.co.uk . Stay dates are from the 20th July to 2nd September 2007. (Rooms must be booked 21 days in advance by 24th June 200)7
Travelodge has 318 hotels throughout the UK and Spain.