Hampshire Business
Travelodge plans new hotel for Southampton City Centre
10:04am Tuesday 7th February 2012
BUDGET hotel group Travelodge has unveiled plans for a multi-million-pound 84-bedroom hotel in the centre of Southampton, bringing 20 jobs.
A 1950s concrete office building in Castle Way, formerly occupied by Lloyds Bank, will be demolished to make way for the hotel.
It is expected to open early next year.
Travelodge bosses reckon there is still a shortage of rooms in the city, despite a number of new city centre hotels having opened in recent years, and are hunting for a further site in the city.
The majority of the 20 jobs will be offered to the longterm unemployed through the job centre in Southampton, Travelodge said.
The latest news comes as Travelodge prepares to open a 60-bed hotel opposite Eastleigh railway station in April on the site of the former Earth Club and Bar. It already operates a hotel in Lodge Road, Southampton.
CHG Developments, the owners of the Gracechurch House building in Castle Way, signed an undisclosed deal for the site with Travelodge after Lloyds vacated the building.
The 19,000sqft building has been on the letting market for some time.
Steve Tyler, development manager for Travelodge Hotels, said: “Southampton has a clear lack of hotel rooms, so we are delighted to have secured a great location for our second central hotel.
“We have not yet fulfilled our requirement in Southampton, however, and are actively looking for another site near the ferry terminal.”
Tony O’Brien, Travelodge’s UK development director, added: “This site is in a prime location, 200 metres from WestQuay Shopping Centre and The Quays Swimming and Diving Complex and will be a fabulous place to stay for our customers.
“CHG Development Ltd have developed five Travelodge hotels for us across the south of England, and we are delighted to have agreed another deal with them.”
Council leader Royston Smith welcomed the news, saying: “It’s the private sector investing to create more jobs in the city to fill the void created by the public sector, which has got to be a good thing.”