Travelodge plans to expand into port locations with 14 hotels at a cost of £84 million on the back of growth in the ferry and cruise markets.
The planned expansion, which is expected to create 350 new jobs, was unveiled at the opening of the budget chain’s new Southampton West Quay hotel.
The company is looking at sites in Portsmouth (three hotels), Liverpool (two hotels), Harwich, Hull, Newcastle, Plymouth, Haverfordwest, Newhaven, Grimsby, Greenock and an additional property in Southampton.
Southampton West Quay Travelodge (pictured) is a 94-room property which represents an investment of £6 million and has created 30 new jobs. This opening has boosted Travelodge’s presence in Southampton to three hotels.
Travelodge has 516 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain and 48 of its properties are located in the vicinity of Britain’s busiest ports. These hotels have reported a 9% increase in occupancy during the last 12 months.
The company’s managing director of property, Paul Harvey, said: “As a result of more Britons taking to the waves, we have also experienced a boom at Travelodge.
“Our port-based hotels have seen a 9% rise in occupancy as Britons kick start their dream sea holiday by staying over in a Travelodge hotel prior to early embarkation.
“To support this growing holiday trend, we are looking for a further 14 new hotel sites at UK’s busiest port locations. This includes another site in Southampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Harwich.”
Associated British Ports chief executive, James Cooper, said: “The UK’s ports are going through something of a renaissance at the moment with significant investments taking place across the country.
“One of the fastest growing segments has been ferry traffic as people increasingly appreciate that ferries offer better value and less hassle than the alternatives.
“Also add the extraordinary growth in the cruise industry in recent years and it is not surprising that demand for hotels in our ports is also increasing.”