Peter Gowers, Travelodge Chief Executive was joined by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Naeem Ul Hassan and the President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Phil Cusack, to officially open a new flagship Travelodge hotel, which is located in the heart of the Manchester Piccadilly Gardens district.
The new 157-room hotel represents an £11 million investment, bringing the company portfolio to 16 hotels in Greater Manchester and 513 in total. The company is creating 31 new jobs with this latest opening.
The hotel is one of 15 new hotels that the brand will open this year, as part of a £100 million programme into extending the chain.
The hotel is designed in the new modern Travelodge look and feel, which was designed by customers. Every room features the king size Travelodge Dreamer bed, designed exclusively for Travelodge by royal warrant holders Sleepeezee, and the hotel also has a full service Bar Café, where customers can relax in comfortable surroundings and enjoy a drink from the bar or try out the dinner and breakfast menu.
The Manchester Piccadilly Travelodge hotel is part of a mixed scheme that secures the regeneration of the former Woolworths building, originally constructed in 1927. The development of the hotel has been led by Associated Property Investors (API). Travelodge occupies six floors of the building with the ground floor providing further restaurants and retail units.
In addition to this new flagship hotel, Travelodge is investing a further £2 million into the city with the refurbishment of ten of its existing hotels in its new brand look and feel - so that more customers can experience the new fresh, modern Travelodge in Greater Manchester. Seven properties have already been refurbished across the city at Manchester Arena, Trafford Park, Salford Quays, Upper Brook Street, Bury, Altrincham and Ashton under Lyne. Work will be starting in the coming months at hotels at Ancoats, Sportscity, and Oldham Travelodge.
To meet the growing demand from business and leisure visitors looking for good value accommodation whilst visiting Manchester, Travelodge has also announced that it is looking for new sites across the city to build more Travelodge hotels.
Peter Gowers, Travelodge Chief Executive said: We are delighted to open our new Manchester flagship hotel in the heart of the city centre at Piccadilly Gardens. This extends our network of city centre properties and marks another step on our journey to build a new Travelodge that is the favourite hotel for value. The city of Manchester is a vital hub for business and tourism, actively supported by the focus of the local authorities on developing infrastructure and cultural attractions to foster growth. This new hotel, together with our ongoing refurbishment and modernisation programme, positions us well in the city as the economy continues to strengthen.
Travelodge opened its first hotel in Manchester in 1987 and during the last 27 years, the first budget hotel brand in the UK has invested £75 million into the city with the opening of 16 hotels, creating 315 jobs.
Travelodge continued its investment in the city throughout the economic downturn, investing £43.6 million into five new hotels since 2007, doubling its room stock from 790 in 2007 to 1,498 today.
Commenting on the new Travelodge hotel in Piccadilly Gardens, President of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Phil Cusack said: Manchester now generates about £1bn a year in revenue from conferences and business events with over 5 million delegates coming into the City. Manchester is also becoming one of the leading tourism centres in the UK with all visitors now staying for an average of more than two nights. We simply cannot maintain upward trends in visitors if we do not have the right kind of accommodation in the right locations. This type of development, in the heart of the city centre, is making a real contribution to growth and economic strength in Manchester.
Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Naeem ul Hassan said: I am delighted to open the new Travelodge in Piccadilly Gardens. Manchester welcomes a vast number of visitors every year for both business and pleasure and everything that can improve their stay or attract more people to our city should be welcomed. Travelodge has a long history of investing in the city which reflects what we in Manchester have always know, we are a international destination that draws people from across the globe to enjoy our world class museums, galleries, sports teams, renowned music scene, nightlife and business facilities.
Manchester Piccadilly Travelodge is being managed by Lisa Readett, who has been working for the company within the Manchester area for the last nine years. Lisa started her Travelodge career as a supervisor at Manchester Sportcity and was appointed as an assistant hotel manager within a year. She has since managed hotels at Manchester Ancoats and Manchester Central, and has now been given the keys to this Manchester flagship hotel to manage.
The team of 30 staff members have all been recruited via the Travelodge partnership with the Job Centre Plus Scheme – which helps the long term unemployed back into work. (Travelodge received 1,000 applications from local residents to join the new hotel team at Piccadilly Gardens).
Notes to Editors:
Hotel Address:
Manchester Piccadilly Travelodge, 19 – 31 Piccadilly, Manchester, M1 1LU
For further information, please contact:
Travelodge press office
Tel: 01844 358624
Pressoffice@travelodge.co.uk