Travelodge, the UK's first budget hotel chain, has officially opened its second hotel in Redhill, Surrey, and become the town's largest branded hotel chain. it is Travelodge's 553rd hotel and its 16th hotel in Surrey.
The hotel chain also announces it is looking for nine new hotel sites across Surrey. This represents an investment of £54m for third party investors and would create 225 new jobs within the communities.
The new 68-room Redhill hotel features a 55-seat Bar Café and on-site car parking. It is situated above the Sainsbury's supermarket, close to the Belfry shopping centre.
Redhill Town Centre Travelodge represents an investment of £6m for the landlords that include a three way partnership between: Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, J. Sainsburys plc and AVIVA Investments - and has created 20 new jobs within the local community.
the hotel features a unique circular panoramic Bar Café offering customers great floor to ceiling views of Redhill Memorial Park. All the en-suite rooms also feature the new upgraded room concept that has been influenced by Travelodge customers. This includes the bespoke luxurious king-size Travelodge Dreamer bed with surround mood lighting, power plugs, USB power points, new softer LED ceiling lighting to give the room a warmer feel, a Samsung 32 inch digital television, free tea & coffee making facilities and Wifi.
Bryn Taylor, Travelodge Regional Director for the South East said, 'We are delighted to open our second hotel in the heart of Redhill town centre, working with Reigate & Banstead, J.Sainsburys plc and AVIVA Investments. Being part of the redevelopment scheme, and being located in the centre of the town, we anticipate our guests will significantly add to Redhill's evening economy, bringing employment and investment opportunities to the area.'
'Today we operate 16 hotels across Surrey, and the county is considered a growth area for us. The local economy is growing at pace and with an increasing number of visitors to the area there is still a big shortage of good quality and great value accommodation to meet customer's demand. Therefore Travelodge is looking to expand its portfolio and is considering a further nine sites in Surrey, taking the number of hotels we will operate in the county to 25.'
Taylor continued, 'This investment will create approximately 225 new jobs and represents an investment of £54 million for third party investors. The nine sites are: the Byfleet/Brooklands/Weybridge area; Epsom; Molesey; Sutton; Walton-on-Thames; Farnham; Godalming; Guildford; and Reigate.'
Cllr Natalie Bramhall, Executive Member for Property and Acquisitions at Reigate & Banstead Council, said, 'Redhill really needs a hotel like this to meet the needs of the town's many businesses and visitors to the borough. The Council was ambitious to invest to make sure it was delivered as part of this redevelopment but the regeneration benefits it will bring are significant. It has created new jobs and will boost the town's evening economy, as well as bringing the Council a return on its investment.'
The hotel is being managed by Samantha Grieves who has recruited a team of 20 who are all local to the area. After managing Travelodge Croydon for just over a year, she was successfully promoted to handling this flagship hotel in Redhill with its large Bar Café.
Grieves said, 'My team and I have worked around the clock to get our new hotel open ahead of Christmas. We have got off to a flying start and we are now getting geared up for a very busy festive period. Local residents have been booking rooms for their visiting family and friends, and we have fast become the spare room supplier for Redhill households this Christmas.
'It was great to kick start the festivities with Father Christmas checking into our new hotel. He was very impressed with our luxurious Travelodge Dreamer Bed and is looking to place a bed order to treat Mrs Christmas!'
