Meet the pensioners who have lived in a Travelodge for 22 years

 

By PAUL SIMS - More by this author » Last updated at 16:13pm on 10th September 2007 Comments (1)

For those who book into a Travelodge hotel an overnight stay in a £15 room is arguably more than long enough.

 

But David and Jean Davidson enjoyed their visit in 1985 so much they never left.

They swapped their spacious flat, which is now worth £100,000, for a tiny room overlooking the busy A1 motorway and have remained ever since.

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David and Jean Davidson have family and friends round for tea in their humble abode - a motorway Travelodge hotel

 

"This is our home," said Mr Davidson, 79, a former Royal Navy sailor who fought during the Second World War. "We have everything we need here - and the staff are like family now.

"We only have to walk across the car park for meals. There is just no reason why we'd want to go home."

The couple's love affair with the Travelodge began 22 years ago when they stopped off in Newark, Nottinghamshire, during a visit to see a sick aunt.

When she died four months later they instantly packed their bags, left their one bedroom home in Sheffield behind and moved into the roadside hotel permanently. Then, in 1997, they decided it was time for a change.

But instead of going house-hunting they simply checked into a newly built Travelodge 15 minutes away in Grantham, Lincolnshire, where they remain to this day.

In total, the couple have spent in excess of £100,000 on accommodation and have had Grantham's Room One renamed "The Davidson Suite" in honour of their unique achievement.

The couple, who have a 54-year-old son also called David, now have their own personal housekeeper and give and receive Christmas, birthday and anniversary presents from staff.

Mrs Davidson, 70, who is wheelchair-bound, said yesterday: "I really like living here - it's so convenient. Our room is on the ground floor so there are no stairs or lifts to deal with.

"We don't get hit with huge heating bills over the winter and it's safer than a lot of places these days.

"It's also great to be based so centrally to nearby Grantham, Newark and Lincoln. We like going for day trips or having lunch at local hotels as well as eating at the Little Chef on-site.

"For us it's a better and cheaper option than an old people's home and we're well looked after."

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The couple, in their 70s, have called the Grantham hotel their home for 22 years

 

The couple, who married in 1953 after meeting at a dance hall, first stayed in a Travelodge at Burton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, during the early 80s but would only stay for one night whilst visiting antique fairs.

Things changed, however, when the couple first booked in to Newark whilst visiting their aunt.

Mr Davidson, who worked as a banker after the war, said: "I was instantly impressed by the convenience of the hotel. Over the next few years we moved in permanently.

"During late 1996 we heard about a new hotel opening later that year in Grantham and so we decided to base ourselves there, having watched it being built.

"We were the first guests to stay and have remained here for the past 10 years, only visiting our flat every fortnight or so in Sheffield to collect any post.

"The rooms here are spacious, with a large bathroom which makes it a perfect base for Jean and I.

"Our room feels like a home from home, with personal photos in frames and our wardrobe filled with all our clothes. Friends and family also come to visit us here.

"We do have to be a bit choosy about what we have in our room as it gets easily cluttered up. Trying to fit our whole flat in the space we have is impossible."

Even when the couple spent three weeks in Savannah, US, they booked into a Travelodge.

"Although the American Travelodges aren't owned by the same company, we still feel it is the only place to stay," added Mr Davidson.

Last night, Paul Anstey, Travelodge's Director of Operations for the North, said: "We know Travelodge has really loyal customers throughout the UK but the Davidson's are unique.

"They have made a Travelodge their home. To recognise their remarkable loyalty, we are going to rename their room from number one to 'The Davidson's Suite' and mount a plaque in reception celebrating their ten year anniversary at the hotel."

Sounds like they took a page out of this fella's book: