Travelodge has today opened its new multi-million pound Cheshire flagship hotel in the heart of Chester city centre and created thirty five new jobs within the Chester community.
The new jobs will be at a hotel that provides real career development opportunities as demonstrated by Hotel Manager Lewis Johnson, who started working with Travelodge eight years ago as a receptionist.
Chester Central Bridge Street Travelodge, the company’s 575th hotel is Travelodge’s largest hotel in Cheshire and the first in the county to offer SuperRooms.
This new class of room is the first of its kind in the UK budget hotel market. It is designed around the ‘premium economy’ concept familiar to airline users. It dials up the comfort factor for business and leisure customers who want the extra choice of a more premium room.
The new 112-room hotel, which is an office conversion, also features an on-site restaurant called the Bar Café, which offers a breakfast, dinner and bar menu. Rooms are available from £29 and can be booked at www.travelodge.co.uk.
Chester Central Travelodge is the company’s fourteenth Travelodge in Cheshire, and its third in Chester.
At the official opening event of Chester Central Bridge Street Travelodge, the company announced that Cheshire remains a key target development area for the company and it is actively looking for a further three hotel sites in: Warrington, Runcorn and a fourth hotel in Chester.
Collectively this trio expansion programme represents an investment of £18m for third party investors and would create around 100 new jobs.
Chester Central Bridge Street Travelodge is being managed by Lewis Johnson who joined the company eight years ago as a receptionist. Lewis is one of hundreds of Travelodge staff members who has successfully climbed the career ladder into management from an entry level position.
Johnson who received over 600 applications from locals to be part of the new hotel was overwhelmed by the high calibre of applications he received. He recruited his team of 35 people in just one day. This included: nine receptionists, 10 Bar Café team members and 16 Housekeeping team members.
Johnson said, “I am very proud to have built a fantastic team who are as passionate as me about delivering great customer service. Our new hotel has got off to a flying start and we are set for a very busy Easter and summer period. We are literally sold out for the May racing festival which is great news for the local economy as our research shows, annually customers will spend millions with local businesses during their stay.
“Our SuperRooms are certainly a big attraction with business and leisure customers as they love the extra creature comforts in the room.”