Travelodge has recently celebrated the official opening of its first hotel in Ramsgate. The new 68-room hotel located on the Royal Parade was officially opened by the Mayor of Ramsgate, local MP Laura Sandys, Miss Ramsgate and Travelodge’s Managing Director Paul Harvey on the 17th June 2011. The new Ramsgate Travelodge used to be the former three star Kent International hotel and over the last 12 months, Travelodge has invested £2 million and transformed the former 54-room hotel into a 68-room contemporary budget hotel.
The new hotel opening has created 15 new jobs within the community. The positions have been filled via the Job Centre Plus scheme, which helps the long term unemployed back into the work.
Paul Harvey, Travelodge Managing Director said: “Today is a momentous day for Travelodge, as we have been looking to open a hotel in Ramsgate for quite some time. There is a real need for good quality, low cost accommodation in this beautiful coastal town. We are hoping today is the first of many new hotels that we will open in this area.”
Travelodge’s 2011 Holiday Index revealed that nearly half of people in the South East (41%) will have their main holiday in the UK this year to cut back on costs and a third (31%) will be going on a beach holiday. The Holiday Index also highlighted that the British staycation is going to be bigger than ever this year, adding a staggering £7.2 billion to the UK tourism economy.
In addition, the Holiday Index also revealed:
• One in ten Brits are going to be visiting Ramsgate and Margate this summer
• Cornish tourists are the top visitors to the South East region
• Tourists visiting the South East this year for their holiday will spend on average £450.66 during their stay.
• The most popular UK holiday destinations for adults in the South East is the Isle of Wight.
The Mayor of Ramsgate, Councillor David Green said: “I would like to welcome Travelodge to Ramsgate, this new hotel is a key milestone in our town’s history. This investment from one of the UK’s biggest hotel chains will certainly act as a catalyst to help other big brands see the potential of Ramsgate. Our beautiful coastal town is dependent on its tourism industry and by attracting new businesses such as Travelodge we can put Ramsgate back on the UK tourist map, where it deserves to be. The £19 Travelodge rooms will certainly help attract new visitors to the town which is great news for everyone.”
Catherine Chantry, Ramsgate Seafront Travelodge’s Hotel Manager said: “It is such an honour to be given the opportunity to manage Travelodge’s first hotel in Ramsgate. There has been a desperate need for a branded budget hotel in this coastal town for quite some time. With room rates from £19, the hotel is off to a flying start, we are fully booked out in our first week of trading and our reservations data shows we are expecting a busy summer period. Rooms are already booked out for the Open Golf Championship in Sandwich and the Powerboat Grand Prix.”
Ramsgate Seafront Travelodge offers a range of rooms which include: family, double and accessible. All of the rooms have been styled in the company’s contemporary room design which includes a red, white and blue colour scheme and mood lighting.
A Travelodge family room caters for either two adults and two children or three adults. Each room has en-suite facilities with eco-friendly showers, a flat screen TV with 18 free digital channels, free tea and coffee making facilities and Wi-Fi.
