The ground has been broken and work is progressing on the development of the hotel next to The Kia Oval.
The site is owned by Surrey CCC and a deal has been secured with Travelodge to operate and manage a 95-bed hotel. The new Travelodge hotel will be completed by the end of 2023 and will create 26 new jobs within the community. The hotel will be known as Travelodge London Oval Cricket Ground.
The new site is the 600th Travelodge opened in the UK and will feature the group’s new ‘budget-luxe’ hotel design, which is their most radical premium look specification to date.
Travelodge Chief Property and Development Officer, Steve Bennett, and Surrey County Cricket Club CEO, Steve Elworthy jointly kick-started the hotel’s development by placing the spade in the ground at the ground breaking ceremony. The site where the London Oval Travelodge is being built was previously home to the famous Ovalhouse theatre which relocated to Brixton in 2020.
The new Travelodge ‘budget-luxe’ design 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.
Furthermore, the 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.
The hotel will be built to a BREEAM ‘excellent’ standard and achieve an EPC A rating. The design will incorporate air source heat pumps, roof mounted PV’s, an EV car charger and green roofs.
Steve Bennett, said: “We are delighted to be working with Surrey County Cricket Club to open our milestone 600th Travelodge hotel at this iconic location, the Kia Oval. This is our first new build hotel at a cricket ground and will be our 82nd hotel in London.
“This hotel is going to be a great attraction not just for cricket fans but is also a great base for business and leisure travellers looking for a great value stay. We are looking forward to working with the Club to offer some unique room stay packages for cricket fans and non cricket fans alike.”
Steve Elworthy, comments: “This is an important step in the development of the area around The Kia Oval and one which will provide benefits to the Club and to the fans travelling to visit the ground from further afield.
“We are very pleased that the new development will also create new jobs in the community and will be a boost for businesses in the local economy.
“Travelodge hotels are renowned for their high-quality experience at affordable prices and we’re delighted to be working with such a trusted partner. Their progressive approach to sustainability is also something that is closely aligned to our own goals and ambitions at the Club.”
