PARSIPPANY, N.J.—Travelodge by Wyndham—part of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest hotel franchising company with more than 9,200 hotels in over 80 countries—is building upon its 2019 growth momentum with the introduction of a new program in 2020 touting initiatives that streamline operations to drive value to owners while helping reduce the brand’s environmental impact.
The adventure-focused brand, which has more than doubled its openings year-over-year as of the third quarter, has a history of eco-friendly efforts based on its strong concentration near many U.S. national parks. The new initiative, Travelodge + GO Green, aims to reduce overall waste while increasing operating efficiencies—and cost savings—with new breakfast, housekeeping and amenity programs.
“With more than 75 percent of hotels just an hour’s drive from a national park, Travelodge has always supported the preservation of our natural resources for generations of travelers to come,” said John Henderson, brand leader of Travelodge. “As we continue to grow the brand in new destinations, we’re taking that commitment one step further by reducing our impact on the environment while making our hotels even more efficient to own and operate.”
New Initiatives Coming in 2020
Travelodge + GO Green will introduce several new initiatives in 2020, including:
- Flexible Breakfast: Travelodge franchisees will have the option to choose the right breakfast offering for their local market. To reduce waste, hotels in markets that don’t require full continental breakfast may consider alternate offerings such as a 24-hour coffee station, signature Grab + GO snack bags, or a revenue-generating mart option.
- Green Housekeeping: Following a successful four-month pilot, Travelodge hotels will offer guests the opportunity to opt out of housekeeping service in exchange for 500 Wyndham Rewards points per stay. The effort not only supports the brand’s award-winning Wyndham Rewards program, but also creates opportunities for savings in cleaning and laundry supplies.
- Bulk Soap Amenities: Travelodge is also in the process of identifying eco-friendly, cost-effective and attractive soap dispenser solutions to reduce single-use plastics and amenity waste.
Slated to launch in early 2020, the program is designed to attract hoteliers who believe in sensible, sustainable operations and connect with new generations of conscious travelers. Eric Sheckleton, who owns three Travelodge by Wyndham hotels in the vicinity of Yellowstone National Park, was an early adopter of the brand’s new breakfast and housekeeping programs.
“As an adventure traveler myself, I fell in love with Travelodge’s basecamp for adventure message and was so excited to hear that the brand is exploring innovative ways for owners to reduce their environmental footprint,” said Sheckleton. “With the optional housekeeping and Grab + GO breakfast we’ve found that not only have we reduced overall waste, but we’ve also been able to lower costs—from food and beverage, to linens, cleaning supplies and even labor. It’s also been a great conversation starter for our guests, who want to learn more about how they can participate.”
Hoteliers interested in learning more about the brand’s environmental platform can visit development.wyndhamhotels.com.
