Travelodge is continuing with its expansion programme with plans to open 22 new hotels between now and Christmas to the cost of £125m.
The move will create 450 new jobs in management, reception and housekeeping and catering, and add another 1,949 rooms to its portfolio.
Paul Harvey, Managing Director for Development at Travelodge, said: “These 22 new hotels, in some of the top UK locations, will add 1949 new rooms to our portfolio - helping us to make hotels available to more people than ever before. We continue to actively seek and pursue, new development and growth opportunities as we are looking to open a further 4000 new rooms in 2009".
The budget hotel chain has an ambitious plan to grow its estate to 70,000 rooms in approximately 1,000 hotels by 2020.
It has already snapped up a range of existing mid-market hotels, office blocks and some listed buildings for conversion and is even offering members of the public a finder’s fee if they put forward potential sites for development.
As well as investing in new sites, Travelodge is investing in its staff by giving them the chance to take part in its Fast Track to Management Programme, its Graduate Scheme or the Travelodge Foundation Degree in Hospitality Budget Hotel and Retail Management at Westminster Kingsway College.
New hotels will open in the following areas before the end of the year:
October:
Hereford
Devizes
Stevenage
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November:
Worthing Seafront
Wolverhampton
December:
Middlesbrough
Borenhamwood
Stratford upon Avon
Chelmsford
Torquay
Ashbourne
Stafford Central
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Tower
Cardiff Atlantic Wharf
Pontypool
Portmadog
Caernarfon
Heathrow Central
Tower of London
Edinburgh
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