Travelodge, the pioneers of the UK budget hotel sector, are delighted to announce that this year they are upgrading a further 55 hotels across their estate to the group’s new Budget-Luxe design.  Twenty five of these hotels in key staycation destinations have been fast tracked to be completed in time for summer – the company’s busiest trading period. This includes the group’s two biggest hotels, the 463-room, Covent Garden and the 408- room, Kings Cross Royal Scot London Travelodge hotels. Other key staycation locations include: Cheltenham, Ipswich, Oxford, Newport and  Southampton.    The latest Travelodge Travel Index report has revealed that despite the current ‘cost of the living crisis’- the majority (63%) of Britons have booked a summer holiday this year and (72%) of these holidaymakers are holidaying on British shores this summer.  Staycationers are expected to be splashing out on average £1011.30 for their holiday and will collectively spend around £20 billion holidaying at home this summer.   The new Travelodge Budget-Luxe design has been created on the success of the group’s budget chic hotel format, TravelodgePLUS with feedback from the company’s largest consumer study – which surveyed around 5,000 UK business and leisure travellers to find the psychographics of the modern budget traveller. Key findings revealed that modern travellers crave style, choice and little homely touches to make it easier to work, rest and relax both inside and outside of the room.  In response to this consumer insight, the Travelodge interiors team have remodelled their core product with a new budget-luxe design that includes all the low cost efficiencies you would expect from Travelodge but with the added benefit of thoughtful, stylish design and homely touches throughout its interiors. This is underpinned by the introduction of a new signature rich navy blue brand colour which pays homage to the first iconic Travelodge blue brand colour- chosen for its calming and uplifting qualities. In essence all the key essentials that matter to modern business and leisure travellers. The upgrade also features a number of sustainable initiatives, including carpet made from recycled fishing nets and plastic bottles, low energy lighting installed throughout the hotel with motion sensing controls and aerated showers and taps in the en-suite bathrooms.  The Travelodge budget-luxe upgrade programme includes a timeless classic, elegant style reception which is the hub of the hotel. A next generation room which has been smartly devised to create a multi-dimensional space by utilising the new luxurious signature Travelodge navy blue colour for the R&R (resting and relaxing) section of the room and a serene colour palette for the functional and energising side of the room to work and get ready. Plus a contemporary designed restaurant called the Bar Café – that features spaces for guests to work, relax and socialise.   Steve Bennett, Travelodge, Chief Property & Development Officer said: “We are making good progress with our Budget-Luxe UK hotel upgrade programme and our current schedule includes upgrading a further 55 hotels this year. As we are expected to have another bumper staycation year, we have fast tracked 25 of these hotels to be upgraded for the summer season.  This includes two of our biggest hotels within the estate in London at Covent Garden and Kings Cross Royal Scot. As well as key staycation destinations such as Oxford, Southampton, Liverpool, Newport and Cheltenham.”           This upgrade is our most radical transformation to date and is a complete overhaul of our existing design. Customer feedback has been extremely positive for our Budget-Luxe design and by the end of this year, around 20% of our UK hotels will feature our premium Budget-Luxe design from Fort William to Newquay.”     Travelodge has also worked with the famous Psychologist, Corrine Sweet on its new budget-luxe hotel design.  Psychologist Corinne Sweet said: “Recent psychological research shows people’s tastes are changing and incorporating homely touches into décor and design are becoming essential to create a calming environment for wellbeing.  The new Travelodge budget-luxe design fits the bill as the premium look and feel is a good mixture of high functionality, comfort and calmness which helps guests feel psychologically refreshed.” The new Travelodge budget-luxe design features   A new hub of the hotel – a redesigned elegant reception  The new reception area has been designed in a warm timeless classic style featuring a decorative panel design, soft low LED lighting, stylish leather bench seating and wooden style flooring. The new colour palette includes the new warm Travelodge signature navy blue shade complemented against a palette of fresh tranquil neutral shades – creating a big warm welcome from Travelodge.  The next generation multi-dimensional Travelodge room   The new chic Travelodge room offers everything a business or leisure guest needs for a comfortable, relaxing stay and most importantly a good night’s sleep. The room has been smartly decorated to create a multi-dimensional space by utilising the new luxurious signature Travelodge navy blue colour for the R&R (Resting and Relaxing) section of the room and a serene colour palette for the functional and energising side of the room where you need to work and get ready.  The bespoke luxurious king-size Travelodge Dreamer bed remains the king of the room and is dressed with crisp white bed linen which includes a cosy 10.5 tog duvet and comfy pillows. The bed sits within a light box bed frame that emanates a soft, warm glow to aid relaxation and features bedside reading lights and USB charging points.  Located above the bed is a bespoke piece of artwork commissioned by Travelodge which has been inspired by classic lullabies, with clever use of playful and discoverable elements to help you drift off to sleep.   The en-suite bathroom also features a new brilliant white complementary design and décor with complimentary hand, hair and body wash.  Other key features of the new room include:  ● Complimentary WIFI for 30 mins £3 for 24 hours                              A stylish on-site restaurant with a statement bar called the ‘Bar Café’   The stylish Bar Café features a well-designed space for guests to work, relax and socialise. The restaurant features

SJ Roberts Construction has handed over the first 50 of 80 luxury holiday lodges to Bluestone National Park Resort marking the early completion of the first phase of the resort’s £24m investment programme.  The remaining lodges, all being delivered by SJ Roberts, are due for completion by October of this year. The platinum lodges are the resort’s most luxurious offering featuring sunrooms, a private entrance and 20% more space than the existing lodges.  In keeping with resort’s eco-credentials, they’ve been constructed with the utmost respect to sustainability.  SJ Roberts partnered with sister company, Lowfield Timber Frames, which supplied the high-quality sustainable timber frame kits used in the construction of the lodges, each of which is heated via air source heat pumps.  Additionally, the paths which connect the lodges have been constructed utilising revolutionary nappy recycling technology – a world first.[i] The contract to deliver the luxury lodges was secured following a series of meetings and a recognition that there were significant synergies between both Bluestone and SJ Roberts.  Managing Director of SJ Roberts Construction, Mike Sambrook, comments: “Bluestone and SJ Roberts share many similarities and values.  We’re both family-owned businesses with strong commitments to work progressively, with a significant element in this respect being our shared assurance to develop in the most sustainable way possible. “The use of timber frame construction not only allowed us to partner with our sister company Lowfield Timber Frames, but also to deliver these luxury lodges within a condensed timeline, thereby reducing the impact to the rest of the resort and local community.   Perhaps most significantly, though, is that timber is not only a renewable and carbon-neutral material, it also has the lowest CO2 impact of all building materials. It continuously absorbs CO2, reducing carbon footprint and environmental impact making it highly sustainable – a key priority for this project.” Over the duration of the contract approximately 100 local construction jobs will have been created, with many more created over the long-term by Bluestone to manage the extended facilities.  Speaking of the decision to engage SJ Roberts Construction on this significant investment, Marten Lewis, Director of Sustainability at Bluestone, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything that we do at Bluestone, and it underpins our ‘Free Range Future’ ethos.  It was, therefore, vital that we partnered with a contractor that shared these values and which could demonstrate tangible experience in sustainable construction. “The combination of SJ Roberts and Lowfield Timber Frames couldn’t have been a better option for Bluestone’s expansion.  Our new platinum lodges not only exude the utmost in luxury, reflecting the quality and exemplary workmanship of the SJ Roberts team, but they do so with market-leading sustainability credentials.” Mike Sambrook concludes: “The UK’s holiday industry has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years which shows no signs of abating.  However, with this comes increased consumer demand in where they stay.  Bluestone has recognised this in its most recent investment, and we’ve been honoured to deliver such a prestigious project for this hugely respected operator within the sector.” [i] The ‘path project’ at Bluestone National Park Resort used 60,000 recycled disposable nappies that were cleansed before the useable fibres from the plastic were separated and used to reinforce the asphalt, replacing the traditional materials typically used.  The project brought together a trio of Welsh suppliers including SJ Roberts, GD Harries (the asphalt suppliers), and NappiCycle which spearheaded the nappy recycling technology. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals 

New-look club will relaunch in Q1 2024 David Lloyd Leisure, the UK’s largest health, fitness and wellness group, has announced that its Fulham club will soon undergo a major transformation, with £6.5 million to be invested in extensive works over the coming months. Set to reopen in the first quarter of 2024, the new-look club will offer a new luxurious Spa Retreat which is set to be a destination for pure relaxation.  The Spa Retreat will feature 5 breath taking experience rooms including citrus steam room, Himalayan salt sauna, ice experience room plus a peppermint ice rainforest experience shower, hydrotherapy pool and heated relaxation beds where members will be able to drift away, relax and rejuvenate.  The state-of-the-art gym, boutique designed studios for group classes plus a stunning Clubroom and business lounge, will result in David Lloyd Fulham becoming one of London’s leading premium health and wellness facilities.  Due to the level of disruption involved to members in a rapid transformation of this scale, the club will be closed for a number of months from Friday 30th June 2023 and re-open in early 2024.  All existing David Lloyd Fulham membership fee payments will be automatically frozen on the day the club closes.  However, members wishing to carry on their membership, can choose to use Clubs nearby with a 50% reduction in fees.  The nearest Club is David Lloyd Kensington, which is just two miles away.      David Lloyd Clubs are ensuring existing team members are well looked after and there will be no compulsory redundancies during this period. Team are being redeployed to other local clubs or a club within commutable distance. David Lloyd Clubs are committed to delivering market leading facilities to their members by investing in clubs throughout the UK and Europe, and this transformation of David Lloyd Fulham is yet another example of this commitment. Kristen Westwood, General Manager, David Lloyd Fulham said: “There’s a lot of buzz and excitement about the refurbishment and rightly so, as the new club will be a luxurious and highly premium destination for our members and their families to work, rest and play. “We’re grateful that our team and members – some of whom have been with us for nearly 20 years – are happy to go to other nearby clubs while we are closed for works. We are anticipating a lot of interest in new memberships and can’t wait to unveil the new-look David Lloyd Fulham early next year.” Those interested can register for updates on the works as well as membership packages when they come available on the David Lloyd Fulham website www.davidlloyd.co.uk/fulham. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals