Travelodge opens first hotel aimed at Chinese visitors
The 53-room hotel in Bicester offers guests ‘noodle kettles’, green tea and a £3.00 snack box containing noodles, a bowl, chop sticks, and a fortune cookie.
It is close to designer shopping outlet Bicester Village - the second biggest attraction for Chinese tourists after Buckingham Palace with six million visits a year.
Travelodge said its website has seen a 61 per cent rise in traffic from China since it listed the Bicester site online.
As a result the hotel has enrolled a language tutor from Oxford University to teach staff key Mandarin phrases such as ‘Welcome to Travelodge’, ‘Hello’ and ‘Have a Nice Stay’.
Paul Harvey, Travelodge managing director, property, said: “It’s vital that we make our Chinese customers feel welcome. That's why we have introduced little things like a word or two in Mandarin and a way to enjoy familiar food in the comfort of their room.
“These little changes can make the world of difference to someone’s stay.”
The Government is hoping to boost the numbers of wealthy Chinese tourists visiting the UK after relaxing visa rules at the start of 2016.
According to VisitBritain, the number of Chinese tourists visiting London has risen 112 per cent since 2009, contributing £500m annually to the economy.
The tourist board is aiming to double the figure to £1bn a year by 2020.
