Travelodge, the UK’s leading budget hotel chain, have announced the conditional exchange of contracts with developer RO St Bernards Limited (ROSB) on a new hotel development site in Birmingham.
The 100-room hotel will be located at Newhall Square, Birmingham B3, and is part of the regeneration of the former Science Museum. It represents an investment of more than £5 million and will create 20 jobs.
The letting is the first at the £65m mixed-use scheme, which will include 235 new apartments, shops, cafes, bars, offices and galleries set around a new public square.
Prominently located in Birmingham’s central business district and on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter this new development is in an ideal location for both the leisure and business traveller.
Tony O’Brien Travelodge’s Development Director said: “We are very excited about this new site. Our new hotel is situated in an ideal location and will undoubtedly attract high numbers of business and leisure visitors. As part of our aggressive growth plan we aim to open 3,000 rooms in 2007 and a further 3,000 per year until 2010. Birmingham Jewellery Quarter Travelodge will play an important role in ensuring we achieve this goal as well as complement our other eleven hotels in the City.”
Within the last 12 months, Travelodge has invested a total of £11 million into Birmingham, it has grown its number of hotels by 50% (giving a total of 11 hotels, 752 rooms) in order to meet the city’s growing demand for budget accommodation. To make hotels more accessible to Birmingham’s annual 2.5 million overnight visitors, Travelodge are offering rooms from as little as £15 per night. Best deals can be found via travelodge.co.uk
Lawrence Parnell, managing director of ROSB, said: “This is the first major pre-let at Newhall Square and a significant anchor for the development. We anticipate that the hotel will be a major draw for other users of the scheme.
“There are currently no hotels within the Jewellery Quarter, despite its status as a major visitor destination for Birmingham. Our location, on the city-facing fringe of this area, means the Travelodge will be a much welcomed addition to the city’s hotel offer.”
ROSB has completed the first phase of demolition on the 2.3acre site and construction will start on site later this year. The hotel will be ready for occupation in autumn, 2008.