Travelodge is considering rolling out self-serve hotels across the UK.
Guests at a hotel in Central London no longer need to interact face-to-face with staff, following the opening of its first “hybrid” hotel.
It follows a fully “contactless” Travelodge that opened in Hertfordshire last month.
Sound good? Well, from now on guests arriving at the budget chain hotel check-in and get a digital key for their room through an app.
Always leave our room as we find it 👍#Travelodge #Blackpool 🗼@TravelodgeUK Yes I know the cleaners are going to take the bedding off but I feel better leaving it nice and tidy ☺️ pic.twitter.com/w7WWVuuQ3X
— Lynndiloo 😀 (@aston1970ap) August 27, 2025
What other changes are Travelodge introducing?
Hotel residents can also collect items, including ironing boards, from a storage space without speaking with a member of staff.
If guests at the new 395-room StaySmart hotel in London do not want to check in via the app, there is the option to use the manned front desk and speak to the customer service team.
Travelodge boss Jo Boydell said the self-serve option had proved a roaring success: “On average, more than two-thirds (of guests) are using it.”
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She said part of the reason was that customers “don’t expect to stand in a queue to check in”.
She defended the experience, given guests don’t need to talk to anyone during their whole stay, pointing to the popularity of self-serve tills at supermarkets and airport check-in.
Ms Boydell was unable to be drawn on staffing numbers at the new-style hotels but it comes as Travelodge looks to cut costs after profits nearly halved in the six months to the end of June, from £82.1million to £47.3m.
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