Budget chain revamps website
Online Travelodge customers will now be able to buy tickets for shows and concerts, peruse sports events and festivals and view interactive Google maps as well as book a room for the night.
The budget chain has spent £1 milion revamping travelodge.co.uk, widening its functionality as well as halving the number of clicks necessary to making a booking from ten to five while making it much easier to find the saver £19 and £29 rooms.
The move is in line with a trend towards suppliers taking on a much more rounded, agent-like role.
Travelodge says it has spent the money in order to differentiate itself from rival budget hotel options in light of predictions by hotel experts Melvin Gold Consulting that the sector is expanding so fast that a UK budget hotel will be built, opened or converted every three working days for the next 20 years.
It says the sector is growing ten times faster than the rest of the hotel industry.
Travelodge chief operating officer Guy Parsons said: “Travelodge continues to pioneer the leisure industry by making hotels accessible to everyone via low cost, location and now ease of booking.
“Our site travelodge.co.uk is the UK’s first hotel website to offer a one-stop service, where customers can get everything they need for their stay.
“Over 87% of our room bookings are conducted online and this investment will help attract new consumers and offer our existing 6.5 million customers a bespoke service.â€
by Dinah Hatch
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