Travelodge is to open 12 hotels in the UK as part of a £77 million investment.
Locations for the new properties include Cambridge, Edinburgh, Egham, Liverpool, London Waterloo, Northampton and Rugby.
The expansion will add 1,443 rooms, including 575 in London.
A further 16 hotels across the UK are currently being constructed and will add a further 1,560 rooms to the portfolio over the next two years.
Managing director for development Paul Harvey said: “The addition of so many sites is just the start to what will be a large number of exchanges in 2009.
“Since the onset of the recession we have been offered more locations and going concerns than ever before, often in prime locations that just one year ago would have been unviable.
“Given that budget hotels only amount to 13% of the UK’s hotel market, there is clearly strong potential for growth.
“With a strong pipeline of properties identified I fully expect Travelodge to exit the recession in a stronger position than we entered.”
By Bev Fearis
