On October 12, 2012, Travelodge Hotels Group (“Travelodge”), the second largest budget hotel operator in the UK, completed its financial restructuring after nine months of complex negotiations led by the Cross-holder Committee (“CHC”) of lenders. The financial restructuring included an operational restructuring which was effected by way of a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA), an in-court mechanism for distressed companies to formalize compromise agreements with their creditors, as well as a Scheme of Arrangement, to restructure 505 leases across the UK. As a result of the restructuring, the CHC lenders ultimately received 100% ownership of Travelodge in exchange for £75 million of new money, rollover of their senior debt and full equitization of their Mezz and PIK holdings. Total leverage was reduced by approximately 6 turns. The restructuring of Travelodge represents the largest hotel sector restructuring in Europe in 2012 and one of the largest and most complex CVAs ever completed in the UK, based on size, number of properties and asset values. Additionally, the Travelodge CVA achieved the highest approval rate for any CVA in the UK, as of 2012, with a 97% majority in the first vote and 95% majority in the second vote; landlords overwhelmingly supported the CVA with 95% voting in favor. Moelis & Company was instrumental in driving all aspects of Travelodge’s financial and operational restructuring and acted as financial advisor to the CHC.
