Additional reporting by Kristin Hawthorne
A landmark hotel once dubbed a town’s “ugliest building” could finally get a makeover.
Plans have been submitted to give the Travelodge in St Peter’s Street, Maidstone, a new look.
In an application submitted to the local authority, the budget hotel chain is seeking permission to make “alterations to the exterior facades”.
To see more planning proposals and other public notices for your area, click here
Currently, the building overlooking St Peter’s Bridge and the River Medway features pastel yellow, blue and orange cement boards.
But its appearance has proved controversial.
More than a decade ago, KentOnline ran a poll to determine the ugliest building in the town, and the Travelodge building took the crown with 75% of the vote.
The hotel – which some observers likened to a toilet roll at the time – got a facelift in 2015, just five years after it opened.
It came after rust streaks poured down its exterior, prompting action to bring it back to a pristine condition.
But under the new plans, the hotel will get a new look entirely.
The current concrete boards will be replaced with aluminium rainscreen cladding in blue and grey across the first to the fifth floors.
The metal-framed glazed windows would also be swapped for aluminium windows, but the stonework on the exterior of the ground level will remain the same.
Many residents have welcomed the refurbishment, hoping it will improve the current “eyesore”.
Brenda Peter, who works in the Wickes store opposite, says she agrees it is among the ugliest buildings in the town.
The 78-year-old said: “I think changing the colour would make a huge difference.
“This is probably the worst [in Maidstone] because it’s sort of prominent on a roundabout, so you can see it quite a lot.”
Natasha Dobbs, who lives in Blue Bell Hill, added: “The colours are not looking great and it is a little bit of an eyesore, but I feel like it’s got potential – they just need to put a bit of TLC into it.
“At the moment it’s a bit scary looking and I think it [a refurb] is what it needs.”
But other residents are not so sure a makeover will help.
Linda Janes says the hotel has been revamped previously, but “is still the same”.
The 70-year-old said: “It has always been a bit of a bone of contention.
“I hadn’t even thought about it, but this is probably the worst [building] in Maidstone. I think because it’s on the river, you just expect it to be nice and pretty, but it’s an eyesore at the end of the day, and that’s the first thing you see as you come driving through.
“It’s been painted before, but it’s still ugly – it’s just one of these things which Maidstone is famous for.”
However, John Brudish, 56, enjoys the look of the Travelodge, and believes there are worse eyesores in the town.
He said: “I think it’s quite a nice-looking building. It’s colourful – it looks like a child’s toy.
“It just needs to be kept clean. When it’s dirty and it rains, obviously, there are dirt marks on the outside, but overall, I think it’s a good design.
“The old Broadway building, which was the old Lidl, that’s probably the ugliest building.
“Once upon a time, it was a Safeway, and now it’s derelict, and obviously that needs something done with it. “
KentOnline asked the hotel chain how much the refurbishment will cost, but it did not provide a figure.
However, director of construction and refit at Travelodge Ian Podgeon did say: “Subject to planning we will begin updating the outside of our hotel in Maidstone in early 2026 and we hope to have the work completed as soon as possible.”
The application is awaiting a decision from Maidstone council. You can view it on the authority’s website here.
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