Three new hotel sites have been secured by Travelodge in a “pioneering” partnership with local councils.
Budget properties will be built as part of regeneration schemes with Cherwell District Council at Bicester, Breckland Council at Thetford and with Reigate & Banstead Borough Council at Redhill.
The new developments, which join the Travelodge portfolio of 516 hotels, represent an investment of £11.5 million and are expected to create 50 new jobs.
The deals are the first results from a drive to help councils make use of their local assets and regenerate communities.
Hotels are built on surplus local authority land, with the funding provided either through the council’s internal resources or via low-cost funding from the Public Works Loan Board or third-party resources.
On completion of the hotel development, local authorities then have the choice of either retaining ownership of the hotel and using the rental income from Travelodge to support the funding or selling the hotel with Travelodge as its operator and retaining the development profits for the benefit of local communities.
The hotel chain’s chief executive Peter Gowers said: “We are delighted to be working with leading local authorities to help local communities realise the income potential, job creation and other community benefits that a Travelodge-backed development scheme can bring to their area.
“There are considerable further growth opportunities for Travelodge in towns and cities right across Britain and we are looking forward to adding further hotels to the portfolio as we extend the programme over the years ahead.”