A 4 star hotel gets the Travelodge treatment

How the new Travelodge rooms might look after the makeover...

It’s no surprise that growth-hungry Travelodge was pleased to snap up the Mercure Hotel, with its convenient location close to London’s Gatwick airport. But it may come as more of a surprise to hear that the company has decided to totally transform the successful 4 star hotel.

In a move to align the hotel with Travelodge’s brand they’ve embarked on a big refurbishment and expansion, creating space for 143 new beds in the process. And where most hotel refurbs have a firm eye on upgrading, this one is all about creating a great value budget hotel – designed to help Travelodge compete on price with aggressive upstarts like Tune Hotels.

...as opposed to how the Mercure Gatwick rooms looked before!

Check best rate for Mercure London Gatwick from 30+ hotel booking sites

As well as renovating the rooms, the hotel’s reception, meeting rooms and restaurants will be given the Travelodge treatment with a whole new look.

There has been some confusion on Tripadvisor about how the new ownership and refurbishment will affect guests. We can confirm that there will be upheaval in the hotel. On Travelodge’s website it warns:

Work is extensive and as such construction and building noise can be heard during the hours of 7.30am and 6.30pm. Whilst we are working to minimise this with the building contractors, customers may suffer some disturbance.

But once the makeover is complete, if you’re flying out of Gatwick – or would just rather stay a little further out from the hustle and bustle of central London – you could bag yourself a bargain with a stay at the former Mercure. It joins a range of cheap Gatwick hotels which put Heathrow to shame (with the possible exception of the excellent YOTEL Heathrow).