Travelodge has today announced it is resigning from the British Hospitality Association (BHA).
In preparation of his new role as Chief Executive, on the 1st July 2010, Guy Parsons, Travelodges current MD, has undertaken a company review and has decided to resign from the BHA.
Guy Parsons said: "The BHA is a traditional body which represents the full hospitality sector from BBs to large corporate organisations. We see an opportunity to transform the hotel industry in the UK, and believe that we can do this best by representing ourselves rather than lobbying via the BHA."
"We have a strong in-house PR team and over the last couple of years we have championed a number of successful campaigns as diverse as 'Say no to Bed Tax' to the 'Save our Seaside' campaign (which focussed on the need to revitalise costal economies.) More recently we organised an industry wide coalition that called on the Mayor of London not to introduce his proposed hotel development tax.
"We have an aggressive growth plan in place, which will more than double the size of Travelodge hotels over the next ten years. We plan to do this by building new hotels and purchase existing struggling hotels and turning them into Travelodge properties. I think it's entirely inappropriate that we should be part of the BHA at a time when we could be acquiring other members businesses."
"The BHA has a role to play in representing the hospitality sector but we believe that our interests are now better served outside the organisation. We are an industry that punches below our weight. Therefore we will continue to work with other leading businesses within the industry, to ensure that the Government truly understands the tax and regulation barriers our sector faces".
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For further information please contact Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge- 01844 358703
Notes to Editors
About Travelodge
The first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge now operates over 390 hotels (28,000 rooms) - ten in Ireland, three in Spain and the rest in the UK. Travelodge plans to grow its estate to 70,000 rooms approximately 1000 hotels by 2020.
Nine million people stayed with Travelodge last year and 87% of reservations are currently made online at travelodge.co.uk, where room rates start at £19 a night. The chain employs 5,500 staff and is owned by Dubai International Capital.