Travelodge Rotherham Central opens at flagship Forge Island

We celebrated a major milestone at our Forge Island scheme in Rotherham this week with the opening of Travelodge Rotherham Central – the town’s first branded hotel – at the new landmark leisure destination.

Travelodge Rotherham Central, a 69-room hotel, is the group’s 36th hotel in Yorkshire. The hotel is the first occupier to open at Forge Island – a once-derelict site now transformed into a family-friendly destination which we are delivering in partnership with Rotherham Council.

Guests including Raife Gale, senior development manager, gathered for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony, led by Council Leader Cllr Chris Read and Travelodge’s UK Director of Development, Tony O’Brien, to mark this major milestone which represents a multi-million-pound investment for the town.

Fit-outs are also well underway at Forge Island for The Arc Cinema, a new 8-screen cinema – the town’s first movie theatre in more than 30 years – which is expected to open to the public in September. Residents are now counting down the weeks to the grand opening of the cinema, with launch plans to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Raife Gale said: 

Cllr Read added:

“We are delighted to welcome Travelodge to Rotherham, the first of our tenants to open on Forge Island. The development is the single biggest investment in our town centre for decades, with our town centre masterplan being a testament to the Council’s dedication to investing in Rotherham’s future.

“We are well on track to officially opening Forge Island to visitors in 2024 and to delivering a fantastic town centre development which will not only benefit the economy but which will provide a fantastic leisure destination in the heart of the town. We thank the community for supporting us as we see this development come to fruition and as we continue to move forward with our plans to provide the kind of town centre that people can be proud of once again.”

This hotel has been developed to Travelodge’s new premium design – which is the group’s most significant brand transformation to date. The new design includes a redesigned reception, next-generation rooms, and a number of sustainable building features.

Sustainability has been an important factor when designing the hotel, which has a BREEAM Very Good rating and an Energy Performance Certificate rating of B. The hotel includes a number of sustainable features such as PV cells (a non-mechanical device that converts sunlight directly into electricity) on the roof, aerated shower heads and taps in bathrooms and EV car charging points in the car park. A new Bar Café welcomes both hotel guests and passers-by, offering an all-day dining service including breakfast, lunch and dinner menus and bar.

Travelodge Rotherham Central, situated next to Rotherham train and tram station, is set to have a positive impact on the town’s tourism economy. Located a short walk from the town centre, it is just a few miles from a host of major visitor attractions including Magna Science Adventure Centre; Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park, Clifton Park and the Grade 1 listed Wentworth House stately home and gardens.

Tony O’Brien, UK Development Director, Travelodge, said:

“We are delighted to announce that our first hotel in Rotherham has now opened its doors. With its new premium design and great location, I have no doubt that our hotel in Rotherham will be a strong addition to the area. We have a fantastic hotel team in place and are already receiving very positive feedback from customers.

“Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is doing a great job in investing to regenerate the town centre. Its funding support has enabled the delivery of this development, at a time when private sector funding is in very scarce supply. This will be of great benefit to the Rotherham community for many years to come. Forge Island is a great addition to the town centre and will support the existing shops and attractions, such as Rotherham United’s AESSEAL New York stadium, so there is plenty for Travelodge’s business and leisure customers to enjoy.”

Together with Rotherham Markets, the improvements are a key part of Rotherham Council’s large-scale regeneration plans aimed at breathing new life into the heart of the borough. The wider Forge Island project team also includes Bowmer + Kirkland, Arup, Helm Consulting, re-form Landscape Architecture and Arcadis, with a new pedestrian bridge designed by FaulknerBrowns Architects.