Hotel group plans £42m West Midlands expansion
Budget hotel chain, Travelodge has confirmed plans to open seven new hotels in the West Midlands as part of a £42m investment.
The hotel group said the strength of the West Midlands’ economy warranted growth and it was targeting sites in the Black Country, Worcester, Coventry and Birmingham to meet a current shortage of quality and affordable hotel accommodation in the area.
Craig Bonnar, Travelodge Chief Operating Officer, confirmed the move at the opening of the group’s latest facility, a £6m motel in the centre of Dudley.
He said: “As we look to the future, the West Midlands is a key growth area for Travelodge. The local economy is growing at pace and with increasing visitor numbers to the area, there is a big shortage of good quality and great value accommodation to meet customer demand.
“Therefore, Travelodge is looking to expand its portfolio with a further seven hotels across the West Midlands. This investment will create approximately 200 jobs and represent an investment of £42m for third party investors.
“The seven locations include: Wolverhampton, Worcester, Coventry Central, Coventry M6, Edgbaston/Selly Oak, Solihull and Walsall.”
The announcement coincides with Travelodge’s 30th anniversary of trading in the West Midlands, a region it said remained a key growth area for the company.
It said it was seeing a surge in guest numbers at its facilities in the region, both from business and the leisure sector.
The 78-room hotel in Dudley, on Discovery Way, has helped create 27 jobs and it is expected to generate around £2m annually for the town’s economy.
The hotel has been built in partnership with Dudley Borough Council and Hinton Properties, making it Travelodge’s sixth local council development partnership.
The group said that in the latest instance, Dudley Council had recognised that a hotel could play a leading role in regeneration and actively sought this innovative partnership to help boost the local economy.
The hotel is situated on the former Royal Brierley Crystal factory, one of the oldest crystal glass manufacturers in England, and prior to that the site was a limestone quarry.
