The budget hotel chain, which recently revealed it was considering former pubs and office buildings for its expansion into cities, says it has experienced higher occupancy levels than normal at hotels close to National Parks this summer with sites such as Porthmadog in Snowdonia and Cockermouth in the Lake District proving most popular.
With the staycation trend showing little sign of abating and rural breaks proving more popular, Travelodge says it is working towards finding 37 suitable sites near to the UK's 15 National Parks.
Guy Parsons, Travelodge chief executive said: “Traditionally Britons have opted for a coastal or city break but as more Britons explore the UK they are rediscovering new holiday hotspots and as a result, we have seen a significant surge in rural breaks.
"Annually over 60 million people visit the UK’s national parks and it’s clear that visitors are now seeking to turn their rural daycation trip into a staycation; in order to make the most of their time away. Therefore to capitalise on this growing trend, I have instructed my property team to go out and find 37 sites either in or just outside the National Parks.”
Size and location
The operator says it has no timescale in place for its 37 hotels with each one dependent on planning. However, it has secured and gained permission to build its first National Park site. A 62-bedroom hotel will open above the JD Wetherspoons pub in Victoria Street, Glossop, near the Peak District.
Sites are expected to range in size - from small 30-bedroom 'Metro' style hotels to those with more than 100-bedrooms and the expansion is expected to create more than 500 jobs.
Locations Travelodge will be targeting are:
Brecon Beacons: Abercynon and Rhondda
Cairngorms: Aviemore
Dartmoor: Newton Abbott
Exmoor: Minehead
Lake District: Ambleside, Grasmere, Kendal, Keswick, Penrith, Staveley, Ulverston, Whitehaven,Windermer and Workington
Loch Lomond & The Trossachs: Loch Lomond, Ballock
New Forest: Hythe, Totton
Norfolk Broads: Great Yarmouth
North Yorkshire Moors: Whitby, Pickering
Northumberland: Alnwick
Peak District: Bakewell, Buxton, Chapel en le Frith and Matlock
Pembrokeshire Coast: Haverfordwest
Snowdonia: Betws-y-Coed, Pwllheli
South Downs: Brighton, Chichester, Eastbourne, Newhaven, Petersfield, Worthing
Yorkshire Dales: Skipton