The business, which opened its first UK hotel in Cardiff in 2008, is set to add to its portfolio with its first North East hotel in Newcastle in December.
But David Myers, chief executive of Sleeperz Hotels, has told BigHospitality that the company's expansion won’t stop there. In an exclusive interview in August, he told us that the brand is aims to open up to 10 UK hotels by 2015, and he is sticking with that estimate.
“We are in discussions with Liverpool, Manchester and London,” said Myers. “Sleeperz is a vibrant, city-centre brand. At the moment, we’re a very small business big cities is very much key to our strategy. Once we get up to a critical mass of five or 10 hotels then maybe we can think about going into smaller areas.”
Sleeperz Newcastle
Construction is well underway on the 98-bedroom, six-storey hotel situated on Newcastle’s Westgate Road. Sleeperz Newcaslte will create 25 jobs upon opening.
“We are thrilled that our investment is creating good jobs for local people in the North East during a challenging time for the UK economy,” added Myers.
Despite admiting that Sleeperz will never quite be able to match the portfolio of the likes of Travelodge and Premier Inn, Myers believes the business offers a strong alternative.
“Sleeperz is all about convenience, value and style and what we ofer is a slightly more stylish alternative in the budget hotel market, at affordable prices. I don’t think we can challenge businesses the size of Travelodge and Premier Inn, but what we can do is ofer the consumer a very strong alternative.”
Time and money
The growth in Sleeperz since 2008, and the construction of its second UK hotel in Newcastle, has been driven by a £7m investment in the business by the company's investors.
“We have invested a lot of time and money into the hotels and our staff,” added Myers. But business is a hard slog for everyone these days. Ultimately, we are quite an up-beat brand and I think that differentiates us quite strongly.
“We want people to smile when they come into our hotels and enjoy what we have to offer.”
Sleeperz Hotels is now recruiting to fill roles for its Newcaste site, ranging from housekeepers and porters to a senior financial controller.Rates at the hotel will start from £60 for rooms with floor to ceiling windows, wet-rooms and sleek functional desks for business travelers.
For more about Sleeperz Newcastle, visit the company website.