Travelodge Motels

The Travelodge brand was established by
the original Travelodge Corporation's founder,
Scott King, in 1939 with the opening of the chain's
first motels in Southern California.

For many years, Travelodge was headquartered in El Cajon, California, which is located east of San Diego. During its early years, Travelodge emphasized itself as a budget motel chain that offered functional accommodations at rates lower than other chains by shunning fancy frills in favor of functional amenities such as comfortable beds, free TV and room phones, carpeted floors, in-room coffee pots and swimming pools.

Travelodge also has a brand of lower-price motels called Thriftlodge with another mascot named TJ, a freckle-faced bear with a baseball cap and a t-shirt with the Thriftlodge logo and the name TJ on it.

Travelodge in Canada

The Canadian Travelodge hotels are unusual for a Cendant chain, for they do not participate in Cendant's TripRewards loyalty program (which American hotels do); they rather operate a separate loyalty program called Guest Rewards.

Travelodge in the United Kingdom and Ireland

The Travelodge brand also exists in the United Kingdom, however it is a completely separate company, the only connection to the US brand being the name. Travelodge which was formerly a division of the former Forté Hotels empire (and was known as Forté Travelodge) had since became a company in its own right and it has over 300 Travelodge hotels, mainly located beside motorways and major roads with many located next door to Little Chef restaurants or Moto service areas. Increasingly UK Travelodges can also be found in the centres of major towns and cities.

A typical Travelodge room - Travelodges in the UK specialize in rooms at £45-55 per night but if booked in advance for £15 or £26.

Travelodge also operate nine hotels in the Republic of Ireland and three hotels in Spain. Currently, SMORGS Ltd hold the franchise to the Travelodge brand within the Republic of Ireland.

A typical Travelodge UK, ROI or Spain family room would consist of: king or double size bed, sofa bed, pull-out bed, plus the standard facilities. Double and single rooms are available at some locations, depending on size.

In the UK, Travelodge has suffered some negative publicity in recent years, primarily focusing on their semi-budget (but not cheap) pricing and soul-less hotels. Chantelle Houghton has been referred to as "Paris Travelodge", suggesting she is a somewhat cheaper, down-market version of Paris Hilton Hotel.