Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Travelodge want to get in bed with council to fund new hotel
Budget hotel chain Travelodge is eyeing up council-owned land in Canterbury for a new site – and wants the local authority to foot the bill to build it.
Hotel bosses claim to have identified two locations and are writing to council bosses about entering into a partnership.
While the authority says it is yet to receive the proposal, a council spokesman says increasing the number of hotel beds in the district is one of its priorities and officers “would be happy” to talk to operators about any opportunities.
If a deal is agreed, the council would fund the hotel development and then decide if it wanted to sell the hotel to Travelodge.
The alternative option of retaining ownership would see it rake in rental revenue from the hotel chain.
This week, Travelodge, which operates 550 hotels nationwide, would not say which sites it has identified, only that its research has revealed a need for a new hotel in Canterbury.
It previously approached the city council in 2014 with a similar proposal, but nothing came of it.
There were also complaints by independent hoteliers and bedand-breakfast operators in the city that another budget hotel could cripple their businesses.
In the last three years, Travelodge has struck deals with seven local authorities.
The company already runs the Travelodge in Ivy Lane, Canterbury, and two roadside hotels off the A2 at Dunkirk and the A299 Thanet Way, near Whitstable.
Its letter to Canterbury City Council outlines the “pivotal role that Travelodge is currently playing supporting local authorities, to help support local regeneration, create jobs and boost the local economy”.
Travelodge chief executive Peter Gowers said: “More and more local authorities are under pressure to find ways to help regenerate their historic town centres and local communities.
“Adding a low-cost hotel like Travelodge is an increasingly attractive choice, as it draws visitors, creates jobs and helps boost the local economy.
“We are looking to drive our expansion programme and we are writing to more than 200 other local authorities, inviting them to consider how Travelodge can act as a catalyst to drive their local development agenda.”