Travelodge, which was the first branded budget hotel chain to open a location in Kent 34 years ago at Medway, has launched the first branded hotel in the county's historic town of Sandwich.
The hotel chain opened the new hotel in Sandwich at the Discovery Park, a bustling science park in Kent.
As part of its new hotel announcement, Travelodge said it has identified Kent is a key growth area and that it is actively looking for a further nine hotel sites across the county. Travelodge said this expansion would represent an investment of £70 million and will create approximately 200 new jobs.
Sandwich Travelodge, a 75-room hotel which features a restaurant called The Bar Café and on-site car-parking represents a multimillion pound investment for third party investors and has created 18 new jobs within the community. This is the group’s 593rd hotel and its 17th property in Kent.
Sandwich Travelodge is the 13th hotel the group has opened so far in 2021. Earlier this year, Travelodge announced it was opening 17 new hotels in 2021. These 17 new hotels are being developed by third-party investors with an investment value of £175 million and will create 360 jobs across the UK.
Sandwich Travelodge is being managed by Colleen Piper, who joined Travelodge nearly four years ago and has more than 20 years of experience working in the UK hotel industry.
To mark the milestone, the Chairman of Dover District Council, Cllr Mike Conolly, the Mayor of Sandwich, Cllr Paul Graeme and Travelodge Chief Property & Development Officer, Steve Bennett officially opened the hotel with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Travelodge was the first branded budget hotel chain to open a hotel in Kent, 34 years ago at Medway M2 Travelodge. The group currently operates 17 hotels across the county. "However there still remains a huge shortage of good quality and low accommodation in Kent and Travelodge wants to fill this growing gap," the group said.
At the official opening of Sandwich Travelodge, Travelodge announced it is actively looking for a further hotel sites in Bluewater, Canterbury, Dartford, Folkestone, Herne Bay, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Swanley and Tonbridge.
Steve Bennett, Travelodge chief property & development officer, said: “We are delighted to open Sandwich’s first branded hotel and our 17th Travelodge hotel in Kent. Sandwich Travelodge will be a great addition to the town and will certainly help attract new visitors to the area. This is great news for the local community as research shows our customers will spend on average double their room rate with local businesses during their stay, which equates to a multi-million boost into the local economy.”
“As we look to the future, Kent is going from strength to strength, especially as more Britons are holidaying at home and this trend is set to continue. Kent is a top Staycation destination, however there still remains a desperate need for good quality and low cost accommodation in the county and we want to fill this growing gap. Therefore we are actively looking for a further nine hotel sites across the county. This expansion will represent an approximate investment of £70m and will create around 200 new jobs."
During the last five years, Travelodge has opened seven hotels in Kent, including the new Sandwich Travelodge. The company said the seven hotels represent an investment of £39m and have created 125 new jobs. Locations include: Ashford Town Centre, Chatham Maritime, Dover, Gravesend, Rochester, Sandwich and Sittingbourne.
twilbert@costar.com