Social Media and Marketing

A battle has broken out between Premier Inn and Travelodge with one reportedly urging customers to sign an online petition demanding a refund from its arch rival.

Published: 30 Nov 2009

A battle has broken out between Premier Inn and Travelodge with one reportedly urging customers to sign an online petition demanding a refund from its arch rival.

Travelodge, according to a report filed by The Guardian, has taken to emailing its customers informing them: “Premier Inn has potentially been overcharging thousands of customers trying to book a Premier Offer £29 room since June 2009. Independent price checking revealed that customers had a less then 1% chance of finding a £29 room if they used Quick Book compared with a 24% chance for those clicking on a Premier Offer banner. This means thousands of customers may have been charged as much as double the price they should have paid.”

The email urged Premier Inn customers to visit a recently set-up website and sign an online petition demanding a full refund. Internet records show the site, which hosts a Facebook group and a Twitter page, is registered to Travelodge’s advertising agency, Doner Cardwell Hawkins.

Last week it emerged that Travelodge lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority over Premier Inn’s £29-a-room Christmas promotion fronted by comedian Lenny Henry.