Whitbread in £2m Travel Inn ad review

Travel Inn, Whitbread’s budget hotel brand, is reviewing its &£2m advertising business, held by BMP DDB since 1999. BMP DDB was originally brought on board for a relaunch campaign following a rebranding and the introduction of the chain’s moon insignia and purple logo.

Mother and HHCL & Partners are understood to be pitching alongside the incumbent. The pitch is being overseen by marketing director Gill Baker, who refused to comment as Marketing Week went to press.

Baker joined the company from Van den Bergh Foods in March2001, following the promotion of Guy Parsons to sales and marketing director for the Whitbread Hotel Company.

Travel Inn launched a television advertising campaign last year, and in February the chain introduced a “100 per cent satisfaction guarantee” refund, which customers can invoke at the front desk rather than complaining to head office.

The chain is the leading brand in the low-cost hotels sector, with 288 properties and more than 1,600 beds. Whitbread is in negotiation to buy rival chain Travelodge, along with the Little Chef restaurants, from Compass. Insiders say Whitbread does not want to pay a premium for the Travelodge name as it is likely to rebrand the chain’s 220 hotels if successful.