Travelodge has confirmed plans for a new hotel in Bridgend, converting the vacant Waterton House office building at Waterton Cross into an 80-bedroom hotel. This will be Travelodge's 21st hotel in Wales.
The building, located around two miles from Bridgend town centre, has been empty since 2022. The 23,300 sq ft property was previously occupied by Canadian IT and software development firm CGI, which consolidated its Bridgend operations into a single building.
The freehold interest in Waterton House was sold by an undisclosed private investor, represented by John James of Fletcher Morgan's Cardiff office, to London-based property development firm Wavendon Land Ltd. Wavendon Land will finance the repurposing and has entered into a long-term lease, believed to be 30 years, with Travelodge.
Work on the project, which already has planning consent, will begin this month and is expected to take between 18 months and two years to complete. Travelodge stated that the new hotel will be refitted to its latest brand standards, transforming unused office space into a modern hotel. This approach brings the building back into productive economic use while avoiding the carbon impact of new construction.
The hotel will feature the brand's popular 85 Bar Cafe. Tony O'Brien, UK development director at Travelodge, said: "This is a great example of how we can sustainably grow by repurposing vacant buildings. Bridgend is a well-connected location, and this hotel will deliver high-quality, great-value accommodation for both business and leisure travellers."
Tim Parker and Mark Stevens of NP Linnells acted for Wavendon Land. Travelodge operates more than 600 hotels across the UK and has a requirement to open over 300 additional locations.
