New Colchester Travelodge to serve 'mostly frozen food'

Travelodge, which is set to open a branch at Northern Gateway, will mainly dish up "precooked food", according to an application submitted to Colchester Council.

According to the documents, “majority of food is frozen with a small number of fresh items chilled”.

The cooking equipment set to be used includes combi ovens, microwaves and a pizza oven. There are no fryers, grills or hobs.

The breakfast service will run between 6am and 10am while dinner will take place between 5pm and 8pm.

Once used, all food will be resealed, 'day-dotted', and stored back in freezers or fridges.

The site has been under construction for months (Image: Newsquest)

Waste food, meanwhile, will be cleared during and at the end of each service and stored in 1100l Eurobins with sealed lids, in an internal bin store.

The application says: “Travelodge has confirmed its hot food offer is via regeneration of precooked food.”

The new Travelodge site is edging ever closer to completion, with bosses previously saying the site is due to come “early 2024”.

The hotel will boast 90 rooms over four floors, with a mix of double, family and accessible rooms.

The hotel will boast 90 rooms over four floors alongside Travelodge’s Bar Café restaurant, on-site parking and a pond outside the front of the complex (Image: Newsquest)

The site will also feature Travelodge’s Bar Café restaurant, on-site parking and a pond outside the front of the complex.

Travelodge already has 14 hotels across Essex, after opening a site in Braintree in 2022.

The new Colchester site will be the first one in the city, with the nearest site just off the A12 near Feering.

However, bosses of the brand told the Gazette previously they are looking for two further sites in the city.

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, Travelodge spokesman Shakila Ahmed said Colchester is an “important” location, adding how the hotel company is looking to grow in the city even further.

“We know the demand is there and that is why this hotel is very important to us,” she said.

“On the back of that, we also know there are definitely more opportunities to grow in Colchester and we are actually looking for a further two sites in the city.”