Travelodge opens £9.2m hotel in Coventry

Budget chain Travelodge has opened a £9.2m hotel in Coventry in the premises of the former four-star Menzies Leofric hotel.

The opening of the 120-room property was accompanied by a publicity stunt which involved "Lady Godiva" riding on horse back through the city's centre, protesting against the "extortionate" prices charged by other hoteliers in the city.

The former Leofric hotel, which was named after Lady Godiva's husband (Earl Leofric), has created 15 new jobs in Coventry, with all employees hired via the Local Employment Partnership scheme, which aims to help the long-term unemployed back into work.

Alex Price, the Coventry Travelodge's general manager, said: "I am very proud to be given the opportunity to run Coventry's first Travelodge. Given the pressures on everybody's finances, there is a real need for low cost accommodation in the city and myself and my team are looking forward to being able to provide it.

Travelodge now operates 380 hotels - eight in Ireland, three in Spain and the rest in the UK. Travelodge plans to grow its estate to 70,000 rooms (approximately 1.000 hotels) by 2020.

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By Gemma Sharkey

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