Travelodge a wake-up call for hoteliers

Aug 7 2008 by Our Correspondent, North Wales Weekly News

LLANDUDNO Hospitality Association chairman David Williams rightly warns of the cut-price threat to hoteliers if a Travelodge arrives in the town.

But this should be seen as a blessing in disguise, a wake-up call for a resort over-dependent on the elderly sedentary market, which itself is facing a pension crisis

With the price of petrol rocketing and more people seeking a break from their cars and turning to cycling, has no-one in the tourism department noticed the boom in cycling nationally?

This makes it all the more baffling that Mr Williams has been at the forefront of opposition to making the town more cycle accessible by providing the option of cycling along the promenade as an alternative to the traffic-congested North Shore corridor.

Mr Williams should ask himself whether he is serving the best interests of businesses in the town by turning away trade which does not depend on cars and the problems of parking them.

Make no mistake about it, the arrival of Travelodge risks some hotels falling into a use alien to their tradition.

Llandudno needs the cavalry ... not rounding the Little Orme on horses, but on bikes seeking a bed for a night or a meal to fill their hungry tums.

With imagination of a sustainable kind there should plenty of trade for everyone – including Travelodge.

ROY SPILSBURY

Fernbrook Road, Penmaenmawr

WHY the gloom in your paper about Travelodge wanting to come to Llandudno?

I guess the prospect of 21st century competition is bad news for hoteliers charging high prices for rooms in decaying Victorian buildings said to be part and parcel of the charm of the resort.

But competition tends to be good all round driving up existing standards so I welcome a brand new Travelodge and the investment it promises.

Instead of moaning hoteliers should be thinking about how they can match or even exceed the Travelodge project.

They have got used to relying on the town’s quaint image and they depend on the coachloads of senior citizens who come to Llandudno year after year.

No-one knocks that, but Travelodge caters for a different group. It is a different model so hoteliers should not be fearful.

PAUL IRONDALE

Greenfield Road, Colwyn Bay