Travelodge will today launch its biggest ever advertising campaign to promote a new company focus on selling sleep. The £10m 'Retailer of Sleep' programme includes a raft of new staff and customer sleep initiatives fronted by the budget chain's first TV advertising for two decades.
Behind the advertising campaign, all of Travelodge's 5,500 employees have undergone a 'Sleep Tight' customer training programme, hundreds of mattresses and duvets have been replaced and 81,000 new and improved pillows have been purchased to offer customers the best night's sleep.
Travelodge Managing Director, Guy Parsons said; "We know that exiting the recession, consumers will demand three key elements of their hotel stay - price, ease of booking and a brand they can trust. We know that we consistently deliver these and they will always be a part of the Travelodge DNA. We have nine million loyal customers that have grown to love our brand - we think that we can attract many more through selling our passion for sleep.
"Despite a major surge in hotel usage over the last two decades, still 60% of UK adults will stay away in this country but not use hotels. Our new brand campaign will showcase our product and ethos to this untapped market and encourage them to try us for the first time".
In preparation for the new advertising campaign commencing on May 1st, the hotel company initiated a company wide Sleep Audit, refurbishing over 1,000 rooms, replacing beds and even modifying door catches in 100 hotels to ensure that they closed with minimum noise.
Travelodge has also introduced its own internal Sleep Manifesto including staff training on sleep matters, new noise abatement policies and re-organised delivery times at hotels to ensure minimum sleep interruption for all customers. Hotel Managers will also have a hotline to Travelodge's Executive team, giving them the power to sort any local external noise issues that arise.
Guy Parsons said, "We know that noise level is one major influence on the quality of a night's sleep so we are determined to minimise the potential for noise wherever possible. Whether it is the timing of laundry deliveries or early morning visits from dustcarts keeping our customers awake, we will endeavour to find a solution".
The advertising will feature Travelodge's Mr. Sleep and the 'Zzz Squad' a collection of soft toys that wage war on anyone or anything that prevents its customers from having a good nights sleep. The self styled gang of hard nosed characters will feature in TV, press and online adverts. All internal communication will also be led by the 'Zzz Squad' as will staff sleep training and qualifications.
Travelodge is currently in talks with various sleep Institutions to provide its staff with NVQ level training on Sleep and will encourage its employees to engage in a number of upcoming sleep trials and studies initiated by the company.
Whilst the TV advertising will concentrate on sleep, Travelodge will also remain focused on its low price positioning. In 2010 the budget chain will offer over two million rooms at £29 or less and maintain its £9 sales at key points throughout the year.
To complement the new focus on Sleep, Travelodge has also revamped its breakfast and evening meal menus. A new take-away breakfast is available in over 280 of its hotels and the all you can eat buffet style English breakfast is being served in its 107 hotels that feature a bar caf.
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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.