Travelodge to quit hospitality body

Managing director Guy Parsons said he made the decision ahead of his new appointment as chief executive, next month, after undertaking a company review.

He said: "The BHA is a traditional body which represents the full hospitality sector from B&Bs to large corporate organisations. We see an opportunity to transform the hotel industry in the UK, and believe that we can do this best by representing ourselves rather than lobbying via the BHA."

He added: "We have an aggressive growth plan in place, which will more than double the size of Travelodge hotels over the next 10 years. We plan to do this by building new hotels and purchase existing struggling hotels and turning them into Travelodge properties. I think it's entirely inappropriate that we should be part of the BHA at a time when we could be acquiring other members' businesses."

Travelodge has 380 hotels in the UK, Spain and Ireland, including 27 hotels in Yorkshire. It plans to operate approximately 1,000 hotels by 2020 and wants to be the biggest hotel operator in London by the 2012 Olympics.

The first Travelodge was opened by Forte, in 1985, on the A38, near Lichfield.