National property and construction consultancy Wakemans has completed a £10million extension to the Travelodge in Covent Garden, which makes the hotel Travelodge's biggest property.

Wakemans acted as employer's agent on behalf of investment and asset management company Deerbrook Group, which represented the developer, Larkbrook Ltd. 

The extension is a ten-story building which is already connected to the existing Travelodge and was previously used as offices by BT. Wakemans says the interior was stripped back to a shell and refitting has provided an additional 249 bedrooms, taking the hotel's overall capacity to 457 rooms. The redevelopment also incorporates a Bar Café, Travelodge's own brand restaurant that serves breakfast, snacks and light meals.

Located on the corner of Shorts Gardens and Drury Lane, the Travelodge is close to several London attractions, including Covent Garden, Theatreland, Soho and the British Museum, and within easy walking distance of Covent Garden, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road tube stations. 

"This is a prime development project which will increase the number of affordable hotel rooms available in the West End, cementing Travelodge's position as London's biggest hotel brand ahead of the 2012 London Olympics," says Wakemans director Seinde Balogun.  

"We set up a working group in conjunction with neighbouring businesses to help them stay abreast of developments because the biggest challenge for the construction team was to keep disruption to the surrounding shops and residents to a minimum. We also ensured that the existing Bar Café remained fully operational throughout the redevelopment works."