Travelodge to open new hotel as part of Watford Riverwell regeneration scheme

Travelodge, the UK’s first budget hotel brand, which operates over 600 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain, has exchanged contracts to develop a new 131-bedroom hotel in Watford. 

This latest addition will be the group’s second hotel in the town and forms part of Watford Riverwell, a major, £500 million regeneration scheme (set up in 2013) being delivered through a joint venture between Kier Property and Watford Borough Council. The 70-acre development in West Watford is the largest regeneration project in the area,  transforming former industrial land into a vibrant new district featuring residential, commercial, retail, leisure and healthcare facilities. Travelodge will play a key role in delivering new infrastructure to support the town’s future growth, while also boosting local employment and economic activity. The hotel chain has entered a 30-year lease with Kier Property to operate the hotel once it is developed. 

The group’s second hotel in Watford is in a prime location for both business and leisure travellers, located very close to Watford General Hospital and Vicarage Road Stadium, home of Watford Football Club and a host venue for a variety of events. Other nearby attractions include the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studios and Wembley Stadium, just a short train journey away. The hotel benefits from excellent transport connections, thanks to a new link road, and is under a ten-minute drive from Junction 5 of the M1. It is also within one mile of Watford’s High Street, Watford Junction, Bushey and Watford Met stations.

The new four-storey hotel will feature Travelodge’s new, premium look and feel design, which includes a freshly-designed reception area, next-generation rooms and its new, stylish restaurant concept, 85 Bar Cafe – offering everything a business or leisure guest needs for a comfortable and relaxing stay. At ground level, the building will also include two additional retail and leisure units and benefit from 78 dedicated parking spaces within a designated section of the adjacent, recently opened multi-storey car park.

Freeths advised Travelodge on the transaction and Kier Property was represented by Pinsent Mason.

Steve Bennett, Travelodge Chief Property and Development Officer, comments: “We are delighted to have exchanged contracts for our second hotel in Watford, and to be playing a part in one of the most ambitious regeneration schemes in the South East. 

“Watford Riverwell is transforming the area, and this new hotel will support the town’s growing demand for quality, great value accommodation – particularly given its proximity to Vicarage Road Stadium, Watford General Hospital and local transport links. This is a fantastic, well-connected location and we look forward to opening our doors to both business and leisure travellers.

“We now have around 600 Travelodge hotels throughout the UK and are targeting even more new locations across the country. This will create even more jobs and give our business and leisure customers more choice and great value when visiting the UK.” 

Leigh Thomas, Group managing director for Kier Property added: “We are delighted to be delivering another scheme with Travelodge, this time in the heart of our Watford Riverwell regeneration project. This deal further strengthens our successful partnership and reflects our shared commitment to providing high-quality, well-located accommodation that meets the needs of modern travellers.”

Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor: “I am delighted to hear that Travelodge will be opening a new hotel in Watford. This highlights the strong appeal of our town as an attractive destination for businesses and for visitors. The Riverwell regeneration project is part of our commitment to bring high-quality, sustainable development that delivers lasting benefits for our community. As part of this, I am proud that we have already delivered 85 affordable homes.”

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For further information, supporting images or a staff case study, please contact:

The Travelodge Press Office
T: 01844 358 703
E: pressoffice@travelodge.co.uk 

Notes to editors: About Travelodge  

Founded in 1985, Travelodge is Britain’s very first budget hotel chain and today is one of the largest budget hotel chains in the UK, with a portfolio of over 600 hotels and over 47,000 bedrooms across the UK, Ireland and Spain. 

In Spain, Travelodge has an established profitable presence and has ambitious growth plans within this market and has identified the top key locations where it would like to open additional hotels in Spain.

Welcoming over 22 million guests annually across the UK, Ireland and Spain, the majority of Travelodge hotels are located in major cities, towns and holiday hotspots as well as by airports and key business hubs. With over 96% of its hotels rated 4* or above on TripAdvisor, Travelodge is proud to offer guests across its diverse customer base a good value experience – whether they are travelling for business or leisure.

Whether out celebrating a birthday, going to a concert or sporting event, visiting friends and family, taking a business trip, working away from home, or taking a short break, we help people to go and do their thing by Being the Brilliant Base.

Travelodge continues to invest in its ongoing hotel refit programme and has already upgraded c.60% of the Travelodge room estate to its new design. The brand is also continually evolving its quality offering to deliver a better experience for its diverse mix of business and leisure guests such as its new look Bar Cafe design, 85 Bar Café, which has been rolled out to selected UK hotels as part of the refit programme. 

Travelodge is focusing on its environmental and social impact, with sustainability integral to its business strategy. Its Better Future sustainability plan aims to build a more sustainable future for its customers, colleagues and the planet, underpinned by three core pillars: Inclusive – ensuring we are accessible, inclusive and well-priced to our customers and colleagues; Caring – creating a caring and healthy environment for our colleagues and customers and ensuring their wellbeing; and  Conscious – Travelodge is conscious of its impact on the planet, taking into account the waste it produces, the energy and other resources it consumes and the carbon emissions it generates.  

For further information visit the Travelodge website or Travelodge LinkedIn page.

For more information on Kier, please call the press office on 01767 355 096, or email:

Chris Tutton, communications manager: chris.tutton@kier.co.uk

About Kier 

Kier is a leading UK infrastructure services, construction and property group. 

Our purpose is to sustainably deliver infrastructure which is vital to the UK, and we are committed to leaving lasting legacies through our work.

We provide specialist design and build capabilities and the knowledge, skills and intellectual capital of our people to ensure we are able to project manage and integrate all aspects of a project.

You can find out more about Kier on our website.