Travelodge to open 26 new UK hotels

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has announced it will open 26 new hotels in the UK in 2010.

The move will see 500 new jobs created and 2,000 new rooms added to the Travelodge estate following a £115 million investment from the hoteliers.

The new hotels will be introduced to locations including London, Edinburgh and Chichester, with the focus for the 26 locations on city centre and tourist spots.

Travelodge chief executive Grant Hearn said: "Despite a very challenging market, we have chosen to invest and grow throughout the recession and for many more years to come.

"The prevailing economic climate has accelerated the forecasted structural change of the hotel market as consumers have chosen low cost, quality accommodation rather than over priced full service and mid market establishments."

The new 2010 hotels will take Travelodge to over 400 UK properties representing over 30,000 rooms of accommodation.

The group also said it would continue its focus on recruiting from the long term unemployed via its partnership with Job Centre Plus (JCP), saying that in 2009, 70 per cent of all of the hotel company's entry level staff were recruited from the local unemployed. The 500 new positions will include all levels of staff and management with entry level roles including guest room cleaners, receptionists and bar café assistants.

Travelbite.co.uk staff

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