WHICH IS ALSO THE CITY’S FIRST HOTEL ABOVE A DRIVE-THROUGH KFC
The Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Michael Evans, today officially opened the new £2.5 million, 71-room Birmingham Halesowen Travelodge hotel. This is the 20th hotel opening for Birmingham’s biggest hotelier and is not only the city’s first hotel to be built above a drive-through KFC outlet but also Travelodge’s first co-partnership development in Birmingham
To capitalise on development costs and meet the growing demand for good quality low cost accommodation in Birmingham, the UK’s fastest growing hotel chain has built a property above a KFC outlet. This partnership creates a mutually beneficial business opportunity for both brands and customers.
The Halesowen KFC outlet will open from 7am in order to provide a full breakfast menu to Travelodge customers. The list of options includes: bacon butties, breakfast platters and toasted wraps. By staying open until 12.00 customers can also pop downstairs if they have the midnight munchies - As long as they have respectable nightwear guests won’t even have to change out of their pyjamas.
Rob Stubbing, Travelodge district manager for Birmingham, said: “As the UK’s fastest growing hotel chain, we are constantly looking for innovative development opportunities. One of our successful growth strategies has been to partner up with other growing brands and develop mix sites. Across the UK we have successfully built hotels with pub / restaurant companies, retailers and supermarkets. Therefore to accelerate our Birmingham growth plan and meet the rising demand across the city for good quality low cost accommodation we have built our first co-partnership hotel with KFC in Halesowen.”
“By working with a great brand like KFC we are able to capitalise on development opportunities and build more hotels where our customers need us to be. Our next hotel opening at Birmingham Moor Street is also a co-partnership development, where we are building a 88-room above a Tesco store.”
Travelodge is the biggest hotel chain in Birmingham and now employs 371 people across the city. The company works very closely with Job Centre Plus to help the long term unemployed back into work.
The Halesowen Travelodge team of 17 have all been hired via the local Job Centre with the exception of the manager.
The UK is currently in the middle of one of the toughest job markets in living memory and few companies are still growing and continuing to hire new staff like Travelodge. Elizabeth Rutter, 26, had been looking for work for 18 months. She had previously worked on a contract basis at Temple Meadow Primary School. However, once the contract came to an end she found it extremely difficult to find work. Elizabeth is now a member of the team at the Halesowen Hotel and is keen to get involved in Travelodge’s Management Development Programme to further her career with the company.
Alison Higgins, Halesowen Travelodge hotel manager said: “I have worked at Travelodge for over eight years and I am very excited to be opening a brand new hotel. My new team has gelled very quickly and are very excitied about the great career opportunities that are available to them – especially the Management Development Programme which is a 12 week fast track programme into management.”
“By offering rooms from £19 per night, we will be attracting new visitors to Halesowen which will boost the local economy by £1.1million*. We are really pleased to have a positive impact on Halesowen during this difficult economic time.”
Councillor Michael Evans, Mayor of Dudley, said: “At a time of such financial doom and gloom it is very encouraging to see a business like Travelodge investing in Halesowen. By opening here Travelodge has created jobs for unemployed local people and will provide a welcome boost to the Halesowen economy.”
Birmingham Halesowen is the third of four Travelodge hotels to open in Birmingham in 2011. The first hotel at Birmingham’s Bull Ring Shopping Centre opened in May, followed by Birmingham Airport in August and Birmingham Halesowen today. Finally Birmingham Moor Street will open in November, bringing the total number of Travelodge hotels in Birmingham to 21. The combined investment of these four properties is £26.5 million and has created 122 jobs.
Birmingham Halesowen Travelodge offers a range of family, double and accessible rooms. Each room has en-suite facilities with eco-friendly showers, a flat screen TV with 18 free digital channels, free tea and coffee making facilities and Wi-Fi.
For more information about Travelodge and to book a £19 room visit: www.travelodge.co.uk.