Travelodge has opened its second hotel in the Northamptonshire town of Wellingborough, following the group’s first acquisition of an ibis property.
In recent years there have been several Travelodge hotels switching to the ibis brand, including two properties at Heathrow in 2021, and nine hotels joining the ibis Budget brand in the same year.
But this agreement sees the reverse, with the former ibis Wellingborough being reflagged as the Wellingborough Travelodge, following a joint decision by AccorInvest and the previous landlord to terminate the lease.
The 78-room property located at the Wilby Way roundabout junction on the A45, and is Travelodge’s tenth hotel in Northamptonshire.
The group said that the property has been upgraded to Travelodge’s latest budget-luxe specifications, including an on-site Bar Café, new reception area, and rooms featuring bedside charging ports, blackout curtains and an armchair.
In August the group published an update on the rollout of its budget-luxe revamp, with a total of 55 properties set to benefit from the new design this year, and around 20 per cent of Travelodge hotels to feature the design by the end of the year.
Around 20 per cent of Travelodge hotels to feature budget-luxe design by year end
Commenting on the news Tony O’Brien, Travelodge’s UK development director, said:
“We are delighted to expand our hotel network with the acquisition of our first Ibis hotel in Wellingborough and become the town’s biggest hotel chain. This new addition boosts our hotel network to nearly 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain.
“It also showcases that we operate an adaptable business model and we have the expertise to remodel not just existing hotels but empty office and retail space into a successful Travelodge hotel.
“During the last five years we have opened more than 60 new hotels and this includes the acquisition of existing branded hotels, office and retail conversions, as well as new build and mixed-use developments.
“As we look to the future, Northamptonshire is growing at pace and, due to its scenic and commuter-friendly location, it is attracting more business and leisure travellers than ever before.
“However, there remains a shortage of good quality and great value accommodation across the county. Therefore to fulfil this growing demand we are actively looking to open our first hotel in Corby. This expansion programme could represent a multi-million pound investment for third party investors and create 25 new jobs for locals.”
