PARSIPPANY, NJ- Look for the more than 560 Travelodge and Thriftlodge hotels throughout North America to start the New Year off not with a “bang” but with a bagel as they gear up to offer guests complimentary continental breakfast systemwide by January 1, 2001.
The breakfast will feature juice, coffee and a choice of pastries, donuts, cereal, muffins or, of course, bagels, according to Robert Foley, Travelodge Hotels president and chief executive officer. As he explained, this systemwide initiative will ensure that all Travelodge hotels offer a continental breakfast for at least two hours each morning. More than half the brands properties reportedly already provide continental breakfast.
“Continental breakfast is a big selling point in the hospitality industry,” Foley said. “Industry studies have shown that todays hotel guest feels breakfast should be a standard amenity.” In line with that observation, it was pointed out that the National Travel Monitor found 63% of all hotel guests expect free continental breakfast, reflecting an increase of 6% since last year.
Upper-economy Travelodge and budget Thriftlodge properties currently offer nearly 46,000 guestrooms throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, and it is expected the organizations continental breakfast menus will reflect that geographical/regional diversity.
Further details about this initiative- as well as other systemwide endeavors, including the introduction of high-speed Internet access- will be forthcoming from Foley during the course of the upcoming 2000 Travelodge Owners/General Managers Conference in Nashville to be held October 22-25. (9/26/00) –Michael Billig