The Travelodge Development Team is the most successful hotel acquisitions and Development Team in the UK. In the last 4 years we have opened 123 new Travelodge hotels, in fantastic town and City centre locations. During 2009 we exchanged contracts for 44 more, in locations including Liverpool, Manchester, Chichester, Horsham, Rugby, High Wycombe, Camberley, Hull, New Brighton, Colwyn Bay, Northampton, Ealing, Twickenham and the Covent Garden area in Central London. In 2010, we expect to legally secure a further 40 hotels, a significant number of which will be within the M25.
The 123 new Travelodges opened in the last 4 years total more than 3 million square feet of accommodation.
Paul Harvey, Managing Director International & Development , heads the department, which comprises the Development Team, the Construction & Facilities Team and the New Openings Team.
The Development Team manages the development process from site identification to start on site, the Construction Team then monitors the build phase up until practical completion and the New Openings and Franchise Team deals with all operational issues until the handover of the projects to our Operations Team.
Going Concerns in the South of Enagland are dealt with by John Hardy, and in the North of England and Scotland by Jeff Hocking and Nick Howard of Whetstone Land, supported by our retained agent Christie & Co.
Travelodge has internal and outsourced Development Managers (ODM’s), each dealing with specific regions of the UK. The ODM’s are fully retained to deal with the whole development process up until start on site, from site identification and agreement of terms to the presentation of Board papers and instruction of solicitors.
The team is managed by UK Development Director, Tony O'Brien, and is supported by the Pre-Exchange Project Manager Emma Bridgewood.
Last, but by no means least, Dick Clay acts as a general consultant for us, opening doors and sourcing schemes that other development managers can’t reach.
The area within the M25 represents half of Travelodges total UK growth targets. Consequently, in addition to our three internal Development Managers who deal with this area (Rob,Neil & Alan) Travelodge also retains eight Property agents to deal with specific areas of London for us. Thease companys are experts in there own areas.
Emma Bridgewood runs the Pre-Exchange team supported by Shaun Baugh and Nigel Himpson of Wakemans.
Once exchanged, each project has a Travelodge Project Manager and an Outsourced Project Manager allocated to it, who monitor the works through to practical completion.
Facilities Team
The Facilities function, headed by Scott Rutherford, manages planned preventative and reactive maintenance as well as our refurbishment program. This function ensures that Travelodge deliver a well maintained and safe environment for our customers.
John Underhill, Head of New Openings, and the New Openings team deal with all operational issues until the handover of the projects to our Operations Team.
