Travelodge in move to attract corporate travellers

This week, Travelodge kicked off the offensive by sending personal letters to finance directors of every
FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 firm.

The letters, sent by chief executive Grant Hearn, offered a free night’s stay. The story was pumped out to national newspapers, which gave it widespread coverage this week.

‘In current conditions, businesses are looking at their travel spend. As the leading budget travel brand we can benefit from this,’ said head of corporate communications Nick Dines.

He added that the letters were part of a concerted campaign by Travelodge to build its presence in the corporate market. They will be followed by a PR campaign focusing on specific local areas and a wider marketing drive targeting the business community.

With firms increasingly downgrading from four- and five-star travel, Travelodge, Premier Inn and Holiday Inn are locked in a three-way battle to secure more prudent corporate travellers.

Travelodge’s campaign is being led by the firm’s in-house comms team, with support from retained agency Finsbury.