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Granada Lodge

Granada Lodge
Granada Lodge
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Locations:21 lodges, 5 hotels
Often accompanied by:Harry Ramsden's
Used by:Granada
Introduced:1986
Removed:1996
Predecessors:none
Successors:Travelodge

Granada Lodge was Granada's initial take on the newly-emerging motel market. They started building them in the 1980s, but when Granada acquired Trusthouse Forte they gained access to the established Travelodge brand, which they then used instead.

Granada Lodge was a clear sign of Granada trying to take on Forte. Their expansion was quick and often strategic, especially around 1988. It's also a good precursor to the UK budget hotel industry in the 2000s, where big names would plan their sites around their competition and not profits.

Rooms could be booked by phoning the 24 hour Granada Lodge Line. Check-in opened at 3pm, with rooms held until 6pm. Room service was available with food from the restaurant next door and newspaper deliveries.

The recession of the early 1990s offered Granada Lodge a further boost, as businessmen were looking to reduce their accommodation costs and became loyal budget hotel customers. Each room promised an en suite, colour television, Sky Movies, payphones, radio, wake-up alarm, heating, double glazing and tea and coffee making facilities, which made for a very '90s inventory. Each branch had the service area name prominently displayed on the logo. Rooms were normally £39.95 a night.

Each Granada Lodge directed guests to the main Granada building next door, where there would be a Country Kitchen Restaurant. As part of the 1996 Granada rebrand, a new logo was created, which read "Lodge" with a red L. It's not clear if this was used before Travelodge replaced it.

The name Granada Hotel was used for several larger and more upmarket sites they experimented with. These had on-site restaurants and bars, as well as conferencing facilities. Granada concluded that the budget hotel business performed better, which would be why they found Travelodge so attractive. Meanwhile in Glasgow, one stand-alone Granada Lodge was opened in partnership with Harry Ramsden's, with a hint that more could have opened.

Locations

See also: Map of services with a Granada Lodge

Granada Lodge could be found at:

The following branches were branded Granada Hotel:

  • Exeter (M5 services)
  • Park Hall (ironically near Charnock Richard, but actually built to serve Camelot, which was owned by Granada Theme Parks)
  • Sheffield (A57 services)
  • Stoke-on-Trent (A500 services)
  • Swanwick (A38 services)

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