Hotel chain counts down to full launch of multi-million pound Boston site after record-breaking recruitment

Travelodge says the new 56-room hotel, based at the Quadrant, at Wyberton, will be open for leisure guests in time for the summer season (it has already had a soft launch for non-leisure guests).

It is one of 17 hotels the chain plans to launch in 2021 as part of a £175 million expansion programme, which in total, is to create 360 jobs.

At Boston Travelodge, as it will be known, 15 roles have been created.

Travelodge says it received a record number of applications for the positions and was ‘overwhelmed’ by the high calibre of applications received.

The time in which the team was recruited was also record-breaking, it added.

The site will be managed by Vicky Smith, who started her career with Travelodge as a receptionist before successfully climbing the career ladder into management while raising a family.

She said: “We are delighted to bring Travelodge to Boston and to be one of the 17 new hotels Travelodge is opening this year. It is very challenging opening a hotel in a pandemic but I am extremely proud to have built a fantastic team. I was looking for individuals who are passionate about delivering great customer service and I am delighted that I have a great team of local people in place.”

She added: “As we offer flexible working hours, we have attracted a lot of parents as they can work around the school run and climb the career ladder whilst raising their family. The team are currently being trained in nearby Travelodge hotels and we will be working around the clock to get our hotel ready for the summer season.”

Vicky added: “There has been a desperate need for good quality and low cost accommodation in Boston and our new hotel will certainly fill this gap and be a magnet to attract new visitors to the area. We are expecting a busy summer as the Staycation is set to big this year. This is also great news for the local economy as research shows our customers will spend on average double their room rate during their stay with local businesses, which equates to an annual multi-million spend.”

Among the features at the hotel will be the company’s multi-million pound Covid-19 safety and social distance programme, called TravelodgeProtect+.

This includes: comprehensive cleaning using an antiviral disinfectant, increased cleaning frequency in high touchpoints in public areas and rooms, customer hand sanitizer stations in key locations, protective reception screens, signage to mark social distance points throughout the hotel including check-in markings, and the monitoring of the number of customers in a designated area such as the reception area and lifts.