Travelodge Hotels has unveiled plans to build 14 new hotels at ‘key port locations’ in the UK in a bid to capitalise on the current boom in cruising.
The budget hotel chain, which currently operates 456 hotels in the UK, has said it will invest £84 million in new sites in the country’s most popular cruise and ferry ports – creating 350 new jobs for local people.
Travelodge hope the move will attract a whole new customer base by providing an affordable place to stay before cruise passengers disembark on their holiday.
UK ports have undergone a dramatic transformation in the past decade – something Travelodge cites as one of the main reasons for the planned expansion.
Paul Harvey, managing director for property at Travelodge, said: “As a result of more Britons taking to the waves, we have also experienced a boom at Travelodge.
“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.”
Harvey went on to say that popular UK cruise ports provide a “ thriving and highly competitive” new market for budget hotel chains like Travelodge.
The move comes after Travelodge experienced a 9 per cent occupancy growth over the past 12 months at its port-based hotels.
The planned expansion was announced at the opening of Travelodge’s new 94-room Southampton West Quay hotel, which generated £6 million in investment and created 30 new jobs in the area.
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