The three former purplehotels – at Sheffield Meadowhall, Derby and Tewkesbury – will add 258 rooms to Travelodge’s 26,000 UK room stock.
The 103-room Sheffield hotel is located adjacent to Meadowhall, one of the north of England’s biggest shopping centres, three miles from the city centre.
The 71-room Tewkesbury property is located on the edge of the Cotswolds, ‘providing a very strong leisure market’, while the 84-room Derby hotel is opposite Pride Park football stadium, two miles from the city centre, and caters for both business and leisure markets.
The three take Travelodge’s 2009 openings to seven, while 17 going concern hotels have been converted to the brand in the past 17 months.
Commenting on latest additions Paul Harvey, Travelodge managing director of international and development, said: ‘Each location will draw on both the business and leisure markets and we are confident of an early and strong uptake.
‘The current economic climate lends itself to very competitive property prices and we are currently adding one going concern hotel to our brand every month.
‘We expect this trend to continue and even grow with more struggling hotel companies selling assets to the Travelodge brand.
‘Beyond hotels we are also looking to convert housing projects, offices, factories and even railway stations to maintain our rapid growth programme.’
The deal to sell the three hotels was put in place by BDO Stoy Hayward, administrators of the Real Hotel Company.
Shay Bannon, business restructuring partner at BDO Stoy Hayward, said: ‘We are pleased to confirm the sales of the hotels and are still working to actively market the remaining hotels in the group for sale with a view to achieving a successful outcome.’
The Real Hotel Company went into administration in January. It operated more than 50 hotels in the UK and Europe under its own purplehotels and Stop Inn brands, and also under the Comfort Inn, Quality and Clarion brands licensed from Choice Hotels International.
See also:
Travelodge adds 1,443 rooms (18/03/2009)
Choice plans UK upgrade after RHC demise (02/02/2009)
Travelodge launches price check hit squad (19/01/2009)
purplehotels parent in talks with banks (13/01/2009)