New Gosport Travelodge hotel receives 1,000 applications for 20 jobs

Travelodge, which runs 589 hotels including 18 in Hampshire, received a record 1,000 applications for the 20 positions it advertised for its new team at the Gosport hotel.

Irita Zigure, hotel manager at the Gosport branch, said she was overwhelmed by the high calibre of applications received and has recruited her strong team of 20 in just one week.

This includes 14 team members who work on the reception desk and the hotel’s on-site restaurant, The Bar Café as well as five Housekeeping team members.

She said: ‘I was looking for individuals who are passionate about delivering great customer service and I am delighted that I have a great team of local people in place. As we offer flexible working hours, we have attracted a lot of parents as they can work around the school run and climb the career ladder whilst raising their family.’

Gosport Travelodge, a 70-room hotel with an on-site restaurant called the Bar Café represents a £6.5m investment for third party investors.

It is the company’s first hotel in Gosport and 19th hotel in Hampshire.

The programme is designed to attract some of the UK’s unemployed parents into hospitality, as part of the hotel’s plans to open 100 hotels over the next five years, which will create up to 3,000 new jobs.