Design & Construction
Your source for information about the design and build of new Travelodges
Welcome to the Travelodge Property Development Design & Construction portal.
Within this section of the site, you can find details of planning and design for new Travelodge hotels, building and room specifications and our trusted and approved construction partners, consultants and suppliers.
Prefer to talk to us instead? You can find the most relevant person to handle your query in our FAQs on our Contact page. Please send a short message about the information you’re looking for and a member of our team will be in touch.
Scheme Design & Planning Applications
Details about new Travelodge development scheme design, hotel specification requirements, BREEAM & planning applications.
Room Types, Floor Plans & Other Requirements
Examples of our standard room and floor plans, parking requirements, servicing arrangements and acoustic requirements.
Scheme Design
Hotels designed to suit the character and context of the local area
The information below provides key details of the matters to be considered when designing a new Travelodge hotel. For further information, please contact Andrew Griffiths, the UK Contracts Manager for Travelodge on 0782 3536073 or andrew.griffiths@travelodge.co.uk, or Nigel Himpson of Wakemans on 0121 4544581, or via the link below.
The initial scheme design should be based upon the drawings within the Tenant’s Requirements documentation.
When preparing the drawings, the following should be considered:
- Layouts should be based upon the standard drawings.
- If deviations from the standard drawings are required to accommodate site specific issues, then they will be subject to approval by Travelodge. Wakemans can be contacted to advise on any deviations required.
- Initial space planning can be undertaken by using the Outline Tenant’s Requirements and the drawing contained therein. To obtain a Copy of our Outline Tenant’s Requirements document, please contact the Development Manager responsible for the area in which the opportunity is located, or Nigel Himpson at Wakemans. For the further development of the scheme, our full Tenant’s Requirements Document (TRD) must be utilised, which is available from Wakemans. Authorisation for the release of the TRD must come from the relevant Development Manager.
- Consideration is to be given to the servicing of the building. Linen intake rooms are to be provided at ground level with external level access. The external door for the linen intake rooms is to be adjacent to a suitable delivery point. It will not be acceptable to bring deliveries through the main reception area.
- Bin store provision will need to be detailed on the plans in a suitable position to allow for the staff to fill the bins and a refuse vehicle to empty them.
- Accessible rooms are required at the rate of 1:20 bedrooms (1:10 within London) or part thereof. These should ideally be positioned close to the lift cores.
- The room mix will be confirmed by the Development Manager and the mix will be dictated by location. The accessible rooms will also need to be considered when calculating the overall room mix.
- Ground floor bedrooms will not usually be acceptable where rooms are adjacent to the public highway.
- The Reception and Bar Café need to be located on the same floor. The reception desk and the bar may be staffed by one person during the evening and therefore need to be located adjacent to each other.
- On sites where ground floor accommodation is at a premium, it will be acceptable to have only an entrance lobby with stairs and a lift leading to a first-floor reception area. In these situations, a linen intake room will be required at ground floor level.
- The vending offer will be confirmed by the Development Manager. If a Bar Café is required, then the number of covers needs to be approximately 65% of the overall bedroom number.
- A Bar Café will require 42m2 of kitchen area including the bar store. On schemes with vending only, a breakfast prep room is required as detailed on the standard drawings.
- Public WCs should be kept to a minimum on Bar Café schemes. A public WC can be utilised as a staff WC.
- Linen space needs to be provided based on approximately 1 sq m per bedroom on a floor-by-floor basis.
- An accommodation staircase will be required on all projects, located around the reception area.
- Reception desks should always be positioned facing the entrance doors.
- It is not acceptable for guests to walk through Bar/Restaurant areas to get to bedrooms.
- Travelodge does not require a lift on two-storey buildings where accessible rooms can be located at ground floor. The number of lifts required for other schemes will be dependent upon a traffic analysis assessment which can be undertaken by Kone, Travelodge’s nominated lift installer.
- It is not acceptable for bedrooms to open directly into lift areas and these are to be lobbied off accordingly.
- Car parking requirements and numbers will be confirmed by the Development Manager. If a car park is required, then the number of spaces needs to be a minimum of 60% of bedroom numbers. In addition, the number of EV charging points will be required on a site-by-site basis.
- Layouts are to consider plant areas and the requirement for 150 litres per bedroom water storage.
- Ribbon and full height windows can be accommodated using boxing out internally to provide the appearance of a traditional window from the bedroom.
- Shared access and/or fire escapes with other users will not usually be acceptable.
- On multi-tenanted sites, consideration needs to be given to drainage drops from the Travelodge and service riser through the Travelodge.
- Travelodge is supportive of modular construction and advice regarding types of systems and suitability can be obtained from Wakemans. As a minimum, bathroom pods are utilised on all projects, including conversions.
- Any questions regarding mechanical and electrical issues can be addressed to John McElwee (johnmcelwee@hydrock.com) at Hydrock.
- All schemes must be designed to achieve a desired BREEAM rating of Excellent. As a minimum, BREEAM Very Good will be required. In addition, the building must obtain an EPC rating of A.
- Any questions regarding layouts and other general issues can be addressed to Wakemans.
Sustainability
At Travelodge we’re doing all we can to be Inclusive, Caring and Conscious for a Better Future.
Travelodge has always been focused on its impact on the environment and its social responsibilities, but we know there’s more we can do to become a Better Travelodge. That’s why we’re committed to three key aims in our Better Future sustainability plan.
All information on Sustainability can be found here.
What is BREEAM?
BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is the leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings. It has become the de facto measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance. Whilst Travelodge accept that various planning authorities insist upon a BREEAM rated building, we do not request a BREEAM accreditation as part of our standard specification. However, we aspire that the building can achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating or as a minimum a BREEAM Very Good rating.
BREEAM enables developers and their design team to prove the environmental credentials of their buildings and benchmark their building against others using a scoring system. The BREEAM assessment process is updated on a regular basis and different versions have been created to assess various building types.
There is however no specific version for hotels. A BREEAM bespoke assessment must be carried out for hotels on a building-by-building basis. Upon application, the BRE will provide a site-specific set of criteria for your hotel to allow for assessment and certification. The bespoke assessment will look at a range of environmental impacts these include:
- Management
- Health & Wellbeing
- Energy
- Transport
- Water
- Materials & Waste
- Land Use & Ecology
- Pollution
Appropriate criteria are selected and a scoring equipment spreadsheet is created for each building being assessed. Credits are awarded under each of the above list of environmental impacts according to performance. A set of environmental weightings then enables an overall score to be calculated. The Score then rates the building on a scale of:
- PASS
- GOOD
- VERY GOOD
- EXCELLENT
- OUTSTANDING
The Travelodge specification and operational requirements should enable a very good score to be achieved, subject to site specifics. We recommend you contact an assessor at the earliest opportunity.
What is EPC?
EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) tells you how energy efficient a building is and gives it a rating from A (Very Efficient) to G (Inefficient). The certificate will tell you how costly it will be to heat and light your property and what its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be.
All new-build Travelodge schemes need to achieve an EPC rating of A under the current regulations. All existing buildings/conversions need to aspire to achieve an EPC rating of A, where possible.
From the 1st of April 2023 landlords are unable to continue to let a commercial property that has an EPC rating lower than “E” without a legitimate reason.
It is always the responsibility of the landlord or owner of the building to obtain an EPC certificate. The certificates are valid for 10 years from the date of the assessment. An approved energy assessor will need to be employed to produce an EPC certificate. We recommend you contact an approved assessor at your earliest opportunity – our recommended assessor details can be found below.
BREEAM and EPC Assessments
Travelodge have a preferred BREEAM/ EPC assessor, with experience of Travelodge assessments, who can complete the assessment with the assistance of the entire design team:
James Barker, Associate
Ground Floor Riverside West
Whitehall Road
Leeds
LS1 4AW
The Landlord will need to allow for all the work necessary to achieve the BREEAM standard, including professional fees and administration costs. Further assistance in the preparation of BREEAM assessments for Travelodge hotels is provided in our Tenant’s Requirements Document.
Find out more about BREEAM
Contact BREEAM directly or visit their website for additional information about sustainability.
Room Types, Floor Plans & Other Requirements
Whether new build or conversion, information about our room types and floor plans can be found here.
Designing a new Travelodge
Travelodge development types fall into three categories:
- New build
- Conversions of existing buildings
- Going concerns
All can be either a standalone hotel or a Travelodge forming part of mixed-use schemes, with Travelodge sitting above separate ground floor occupiers or co-locating in schemes with complimentary uses (retail, drive-thru, gyms, nursery, offices, residential etc.), sometimes with shared or demised parking. See Case Studies for examples.
Standard Floor Plans
Travelodge does not have a standard floor plate and will accept layouts which are compliant with our Tenant’s Requirements Document. The Tenant’s Requirement Document (TRD) is available upon request from the relevant Development Manager.
Floor plans, design and specification will be developed with and approved by the Development Manager or our retained Outsourced Project Manager (Nigel Himpson of Wakemans or Gemma Taylor of Baker Hollingsworth).
Each bedroom will have a window and be laid out and meet the minimum dimensions, all in accordance with the TRD unless otherwise agreed. Travelodge does not have a standard footprint, nor a minimum or maximum number of bedrooms per floor. However, please bear in mind that the most efficient floor plate has bedrooms either side of a central corridor and a linen room is needed on each floor. Building regulations also require minimum travel distances for fire escape purposes and this will determine how many fire escapes are needed.
As an example, the floorplan below shows our latest Travelodge layout at Wimbledon, opened in November 2022.
Also below are site layout and elevations for Wimbledon, which provide a good template for a typical, Travelodge that is up to 4/5 storeys. Other than window setting out and service arrangements, Travelodge is not prescriptive about the materials used in the envelope or external works. Further detail is set out in the TRD.
Room mix
The Development Manager will advise you of the appropriate mix of rooms in each case, although Building Regulations call for a minimum of 1 in 20 rooms to be Accessible, with 1 in 10 in the London Boroughs.
Bedroom Types
There are 4 standard bedroom types, with the minimum internal dimensions as follows:
- Family – 6400 x 2920
- Double Shower – 5150 x 2920
- Double Squeeze Room – 5150 x 2625
- Accessible – 6000 x 3600
If the floor plate is constrained, the Travelodge design team will work with the developer to agree non-standard bedroom layouts which, whilst not meeting the minimum dimensions set out above, will incorporate all necessary features of the standard rooms and comply with our Brand and Operational Requirements.
Ground floor bedrooms will not usually be acceptable where rooms are adjacent to the public highway.
On average, each bedroom equates to approximately 300 sq ft GIA, inclusive of circulation space.
Bedroom Type Drawings
Food & Beverage
For food & beverage, Travelodge has two offers – Vending and Bar Café. The Development Manager will advise which will be required in each case. This is often dependent upon the proximity and availability of suitable, nearby and convenient, alternative F&B to provide Travelodge customers with breakfast and evening meal dining options.
Typically, a Travelodge of over 75 bedrooms will include a Bar Café providing covers at 65% of the overall room numbers (i.e. for a 100-bed hotel, 65 covers will be required).
Please see the scheme design section for specific details of our Tenant’s Requirements.
Bar Café Example Floor Plans
Building Conversions
The Travelodge at London Battersea was the first building in the UK that was converted to a branded budget hotel. This opened in 1996 and in the intervening 18 years we have converted numerous more across the UK.
Bespoke, new build Travelodge hotels are obviously preferable than a conversion and represent most of our new openings. However, the economic viability of converting an existing building can make a conversion more beneficial than demolition and rebuild. This is because a conversion can cost less, planning can be easier to achieve and conversions are quicker to undertake than a new build, meaning not only funding over a shorter period, but also an earlier rent commencement.
Office specification is constantly improving. Some offices built less than 15 years ago cannot now be refurbished economically to provide up to date Grade A office specification and so not only will the Open Market Rental Value decrease compared to more modern offices, but the inherent value of the property will continue to decline over time. Comparatively few offices of more than 25,000 sq. ft. are let to one tenant of good covenant on a long lease. The combination of a mix of short leases, long rent-free periods, constant voids, management fees, service charge costs and the empty business rate liability for owners significantly impacts on investment yields for secondary offices. Letting the entire office space to Travelodge, for a 25-year lease with no breaks, eliminates these holding costs and can not only improve the capital value, but also make the asset more institutionally appealing.
In addition to office conversions, the changing structure of High Street retail in the UK is now providing opportunities to convert former retail units to new hotels. Often, a knockdown and rebuild option will be most appropriate, but Travelodge will be happy to consider conversions of these kinds of assets as well.
Design Specifications
- Floor plates should be a minimum of 27m (length) x 12m (width) to a maximum of 16m (width)
- Floor-to-ceiling height a minimum of 2.3m
- ‘Grid’ depth a minimum of 6m (such as window bays or columns)
- All bedrooms need openable windows or air conditioning
- All bedrooms need natural light
- Lifts must serve every floor
- Above 3rd party demise, drainage solution needs to be considered
- No stepped access for customers or deliveries (ramp or same level)
- Floor loadings and M&E specifications are less than those of an office
- Dedicated staircase for customers’ use but will share fire escape stairs
FAQs: Answering Your Design and Construction Questions
Prefer to talk to us instead? You can find the most relevant person to handle your query on our FAQ page, please send a short message about the information you’re looking for and a member of our team will be in touch.
Parking
Parking may not be required at a town/city centre site, particularly where public transport hubs are close by, or where 24-hour, off-site parking is available nearby. For edge-of-town or out-of-town site, on-site parking will usually be required. Where on-site parking is required, this may be demised to Travelodge or shared or part-shared with other operators in a mixed-use development. Where car parking is available there will be a requirement for several spaces to include EV charging. Details of on-site or off-site parking arrangements, demised or shared and numbers required will be considered and provided by the relevant Development Manager for each opportunity.
Servicing Arrangements
Bin stores and ground floor linen intake stores are required on all sites and need to meet the minimum requirements for bin and linen cage numbers, as set out in the TRD. It will not be acceptable to bring deliveries through the main reception area.
Any bin store which is less than 5m from the building needs to be protected with a fire-resistant roof.
Loading/Delivery bays on the highway are acceptable, provided the travel distance to the stores is not greater than 35m and access is level.
Travelodge have national supply contracts for linen, refuse, food, dray and other ancillary items. The vehicle sizes are set out below:
Acoustic Requirements
Travelodge has prescriptive requirements for acoustic performance. Consideration needs to be given to the mix of uses on each site, to avoid noise ingress into bedrooms, particularly overnight. Noisy uses, such as nightclubs and late night bars, are not acceptable. The specification of the Travelodge can be enhanced to include sealed windows with acoustic trickle vents where noise cannot be avoided, such as busy city centre locations or locations that are close to busy roads and railway lines.
Construction Partners
Travelodge-approved Contractors and Suppliers with extensive experience of delivering new Travelodge hotels.
Planning Applications
Nick Jenkins MRICS of Smith Jenkins is retained by Travelodge to provide planning consultancy advice in connection with all of Travelodge’s development projects. He is also advising Travelodge on the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Nick can provide initial advice to landowners, developers and funders on the planning feasibility of including a Travelodge hotel in any scheme and act as planning consultant on developer-led schemes, progressing to application and approval. This includes scoping and identifying, at the outset, the key technical issues involved in supporting a planning application for any site.
Should Travelodge’s developer partners already have a planning team in place, Smith Jenkins is retained by Travelodge to work alongside this team, guiding them with their knowledge of the Travelodge product, related planning issues and precedents, through their extensive experience in Travelodge development.
Nick Jenkins has over 15 years’ experience in delivering Travelodge projects and has overseen the delivery of over 250 planning permissions. These include those for standalone hotels, changes of use of existing buildings and hotels forming part of wider mixed-use schemes, in city and town centres, edge-of-centre sites and out-of-centre locations.
Permissions have been secured in historic and sensitive locations, including the city centres of Bath, Chester, Chichester, Edinburgh, Epsom, Harrogate, Liverpool, London Greenwich, London Richmond, London Twickenham, St Albans, Windsor and York and edge-of-centre sites in Cambridge, Durham, Lincoln, Oxford, Marlow and The City of London. A number of these schemes have included the conversion of listed buildings.
Should you wish to discuss the planning issues associated with any potential Travelodge project, please contact:
Nick Jenkins
30A High Street
Stony Stratford
Milton Keynes
MK11 1AF