HOTEL operator Travelodge has written to Woking Borough Council proposing a “joint development partnership” as part of a planned expansion in Surrey.

Travelodge, one of the UK’s largest brands with almost 600 hotels, is aiming to open 10 new hotels across the county, and has contacted a series of councils as it explores locations which also include Byfleet, Farnham and Guildford.

It claims that the Surrey expansion programme could represent a multimillion-pound investment for third-party investors and create 275 new jobs, “acting as a catalyst to stimulate regeneration and facilitate further growth”. 

The company presently operates 21 hotels across Surrey, including one it already has in Woking, in Oriental Road, opposite the railway station.

A letter has been sent to eight local authorities across Surrey outlining the role that Travelodge says it has played for the past 10 years in supporting local authorities nationally: by being a key player in local regeneration, creating jobs within the community and helping parents return to work, attracting new visitors to the area and boosting the local economy, and providing a long-term income stream for the local authority as they have invested in the development of the Travelodge hotel and are the landlord.       

In 2022, Travelodge opened six new hotels, three of which were local authority partnerships, with two hotels located in London, at Docklands and Wimbledon, and a third in Braintree.

These and similar bespoke agreements have had unique funding structures, says Travelodge. Some have been built on surplus local authority land, with the funding provided either through the local authority’s internal resources or via low-cost funding from the Public Works Loan Board, or third-party resources.

Upon completion of the hotel development, local authorities have the choice of either retaining ownership of the hotel and receiving an annual rent or selling the hotel with Travelodge as its operator. 

Steve Bennett, Travelodge chief property and development officer, said: “Local authorities are under extreme pressure to invest in their economy and support regeneration projects. 

“This is why we have written  to eight local authorities across Surrey to offer our support. Travelodge customers will spend at least double their room rate with local businesses during their stay; this can be an annual, multimillion-pound boost into each local economy. 

“Britain is now a nation of budget travellers, with more of us choosing to stay in budget hotels than any other hotel type and this trend is set to grow, which is why we are looking to expand our UK hotel network with a further 300 hotels.”