Travelodge attacks ‘rip-off' rivals

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has accused hotel rivals of misleading consumers through their advertising campaigns.

An advert today in the national press names Hilton, Marriott, Macdonald and Swallow as guilty of a lack of transparency when it comes to rates and supplements.

Travelodge claims adverts by the named hotel companies lead on "price per person" and not the total cost of the room.

It claims consumers are drawn in by cheap headline prices but small print states that the rate is based on two people sharing for a minimum of two nights, which means a £30 deal could actually cost £120.

Grant Hearn, Travelodge's chief executive officer, said: "We have issued a warning to consumers in a national paper today because we are absolutely sick of seeing these misleading adverts."

"In some cases, when customers get to reservation stage, they are being quoted four times the headline advertised price," Hearn said.

Travelodge has written to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) requesting they clamp down on these types of advert.

It is also compiling a dossier of offending adverts to submit to the Consumers Association.

By Chris Druce

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