Travelodge, the first budget hotel brand in the UK, launched in 1985. It now operates over 330 hotels comprising over 20,000 rooms in the UK, Ireland and Spain. The chain is growing fast with plans to run approximately 1000 hotels by 2020 and to be the biggest operator in London by the 2012 Olympics.

Travelodge offers simple, hassle free accommodation in double, disabled-access or family rooms (catering for 2 adults and 2 children under the age of 16). All rooms are en-suite, with luxury king size beds, colour TV and free tea- and coffee-making facilities. There is 24 hour reception and fast check in and, with payment made up front, no need to check out. 

It aims to offer fantastic value by keeping costs low and passing on the savings to customers with low room prices. That means, it says, no trouser press, chocolates on pillows, toiletries or other frills. Yet it has come up with some eye-catching extras on trial at certain hotels, for instance high-tech pyjamas which look like space suits; the UK's first downloadable ‘Nodcasts’ to combat insomnia with ‘motivational sleeping’; and the ‘Cuddillow’, a cuddling pillow to help lonely guests get a good night’s sleep.

 GREEN FEATURES

Travelodge appointed its first Director of Environment and Sustainability in summer 2007 and announced an investment of £1m in an environment strategy “encompassing every area of the business from cutting edge environmental technologies in hotels through to staff and customer awareness programmes”.

The move followed 12 months of staff education trials in a number of hotels with the Carbon Trust, and customer research stating that 79% of hotel users would prefer to stay in a hotel company that was focused on the environment.

This would involve researching new technologies to reduce energy usage in hotels such as sustainable construction techniques, solar power, underground heating and wind power to reduce the company's carbon footprint and £10m utility bill. The aim was to produce a company environment policy and strategy in the following months.