Not content with cementing its position as one of the fastest growing budget hotel brands in the UK, earlier this year Travelodge embarked on a £57m refurbishment across the estate to be carried out in just 18 months. The refurbishment programme is set to transform the look and feel of more than 30,000 rooms as part of a wider company investment to further grow the business and strengthen the Travelodge brand.Along with changes to the restaurants and public areas, a key part of the refit is a brand new guestroom created by Travelodge customers following an extensive research project. The in- house design team led by Francis Whitley were tasked with creating a stylish, relaxing and functional environment and a customised version of the Chelsom ‘discus’ desk light was commissioned as part of the interior scheme. Finished in soft white for a clean contemporary look, the shallow curved weighted base and integrated rocker switch of the standard ‘discus’ fitting have been replaced with a flat circular alternative featuring an inline switch located on the cable. The base shape is mirrored in the stamped flat cylindrical head which contains a fluorescent GU 10 lamp providing excellent light level sustainability and efficiency.
Chelsom has worked closely with the Travelodge design team from the outset to value engineer the standard version of the product to ensure it met the exacting design requirements and budget limitations involved without compromising the overall design aesthetic. Given the scale of the refurbishment and limited time frame in which it is to be completed, the logistical practicalities are critical and all product has been stocked at Chelsom’s warehouse in Lancashire to maximise efficiency of despatch and help regulate stock control for the duration.
Company Director, Will Chelsom said: “Travelodge is without question one of the UK’s most recognisable hotel brands and to be associated with such an extensive refurbishment programme is a great opportunity and one which reflects the scope of work we can and do deliver. The sheer scale of the refit means that it certainly isn’t without its challenges, the logistics involved in order to deliver such large volumes of product on time are instrumental to its success especially given the ambitious 18 month project window. It’s testament to Chelsom that we are able to maintain such high quality levels whilst achieving the competitive price points required on such a large scale project”.
Travelodge plans to have refitted more than 50% of all its rooms by the end of the year. By autumn 2014, almost 90% of Travelodge’s hotels will incorporate the new room design, meaning the makeover will see an average of more than 50 rooms refurbished every day for the next 18 months.
