Budget hotel group Travelodge has formally launched
a new loyalty programme for its corporate customers.
Called Travelodge Business, the programme
incorporates a booking portal featuring customers’ preferred locations, the
ability to add multiple bookers and guests, detailed reporting and downloadable
VAT invoices.
Members also receive 5 per cent off flexible
room rates, account support, interest-free payment terms, no credit card fees,
multiple card users and pre-paid food and drink options.
The free-to-join Travelodge Business scheme
replaces the group’s previous corporate programme, Travelodge Business
Membership, and includes a Travelodge Business PLUS component for its larger
customers.
The PLUS programme is open to companies spending
more than £50,000 with Travelodge per year and features bespoke corporate
discounts and dedicated account managers.
Travelodge says larger customers can, on average,
save up to £250,000 on their annual spend with the group, while SMEs can make
savings of £1,000 per year.
“We are seeing green shoots that business travel is
restarting across the UK as businesses recognise that travel is important to
success,” said Travelodge chief executive Craig Bonnar.
“Business travel is often about building
relationships and some face-to-face meetings are essential. Our research
shows company bosses are concerned about their bottom line and how they can
make business travel affordable and safe in the ‘new normal’, which is why we
have invested in Travelodge Business.”
The group operates nearly 600 hotels across the UK,
Ireland and Spain. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic the group had experienced
five consecutive years of growth in corporate business, which in 2019 accounted
for more than half of its total revenue.