Ipswich Travelodge has reopened after a multi-million pound investment in a Covid-19 safety programme.

The budget hotel chain has reopened a further 100 sites after 62 of its hotels remained open throughout the coronavirus lockdown.

In order to reopen these hotels the firm has put in place a programme of cleaning and social distancing it calls Travelodge Protect Plus.

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As part of this programme the chain is using an antiviral cleaner that is effective against coronavirus, cleaning areas that are frequently touched more often and thermally disinfecting linen and towels.

The hotels will also have hand sanitiser station throughout the hotel, protective screens at reception and PPE for all hotel staff.

Housekeeping staff will also not enter customer’s rooms while they are staying at the hotel and payment and check out can all be done in a contactless way.

But the hotels will not be able to reopen their restaurants or breakfast buffets and are instead offering a ‘breakfast to go box’ that customers can purchase from reception or online.

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Shakila Ahmed, a spokeswoman for Travelodge, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming customers back to our Travelodge hotels and excited to be reopening Ipswich Travelodge today.

“With safety at the forefront of our business, we have worked closely with our hotel teams that stayed open during the lockdown, government and industry bodies to develop our new Covid-19 safety programme called Travelodge Protect Plus.

“This safety programme is designed to keep our customers and teams safe and has been implemented into all Travelodge hotels.