Travelodge on hunt for 140 new sites under £3bn expansion plans

Budget hotel chain Travelodge is looking for more than 140 new sites under expansion plans that promise £3bn of investment and thousands of jobs.

The company wants to grow its empire by opening 127 new hotels in London, creating 6,000 jobs, and 16 in the North East, leading to 400 jobs.

The announcement was made as Travelodge officially opened its first new-build "budget luxe" hotels at London Docklands and in Hexham.

Travelodge now operates 595 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain.

Steve Bennett, Travelodge chief property and development officer, said: "We are delighted to have boosted our hotel network to 595 Travelodges by opening five new hotels so far this year.

"This includes our first new-build premium look and feel budget luxe hotels in London Docklands and in the north of England in Hexham.

"Both of these regions are growing at pace especially as they are top staycation destinations, attracting millions of visitors from all corners of the UK.

"However with more Britons choosing to stay in a budget hotel than any other hotel type there is a shortage of good quality and low cost accommodation across London and the North East."