Travelodge online manual: pictures worth 1,000 words

CALGARY—The terms “manual” or “specifications” can conjure up some images of very dry print or online information, consisting of descriptions, dimensions and instructions — not necessarily interesting or helpful.

But Travelodge Canada has come up with an online manual for the 100-plus operators who will be implementing its five year plan that is visually instructive, plus easy to understand and implement.

The five year plan was unveiled at Travelodge Canada’s annual conference in November, 2007. The website, which was four months in the making, came online at the end of May.

“We developed a plan over five years to really reposition and consolidate the brand,” Roger White, executive vice-president, Travelodge Canada, told CLN in an interview last month.

“We were having difficulty communicating the requirements of the five-year plan to our franchisees.  We decided to develop a website that was very visual, and bring together all the specifications, and the five-year plan, and also enable franchisees to easily find suppliers.”

The site is divided into two areas: one for Travelodge limited service properties, and the other for Travelodge Hotel properties.

First and foremost, the manual is visual.  There are rotating videos showing each major area of the hotel – lobby, corridors, rooms, bathrooms and exterior. There can be no doubt about the “look” that is expected.

Then under each area of the hotel, there are different views of the space, with close ups of each element, downloadable product specs, and links to approved supplier websites. Hoteliers with access to the site can see at a glance what’s required each year, thanks to graphs indicating upgrades and timeline.  For example, a look at the bathrooms section shows that curved shower rods, hookless shower curtains and adjustable spray shower heads will be required in 2008, whereas hoteliers won’t have to have the decorative lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs until 2012.

“This enables them to plan capital expenditures beforehand.  If they know they have to change the size of the towels, they can act early,” said White.

There are even design boards showing fabric and wallpaper samples, and an e-mail link to the designer. Hoteliers don’t have to bring in a designer, because the information is all there.

This “made in Canada” product is also being adopted internationally. The company that built the Travelodge Canada site is working on a site for certain brands of international hotel giant Wyndham Hotels.

White sees the site as continually evolving, to include a two-way interface so that suppliers can make the Travelodge hoteliers aware of special offers.