Telford to be site of one of 20 new Travelodge hotels in 2018

The hotel is currently being built on green land near Telford's Southwater Square.

A Travelodge hotel and restaurant is part of the next phase of work at Southwater. It will create 12 full time and 29 part time jobs and the work is expected to be completed this spring.

The plans will also see a new public green space and events area made available to visitors.

Five full-time jobs are expected to be created at the hotel, with 14 part-time positions. The council has been in talks with companies to take over the restaurant and bar space, but the unit is expected to see seven full-time jobs created and 15 part-time.

The Travelodge will compete with the existing Premier Inn at Southwater.

It is part of an ambitious plan to increase the number of hotels it has across the UK.

The building programme includes sites in Walsall and Solihull.

Travelodge's expansion includes the budget hotel group’s biggest new build to date – its new flagship 395-room hotel, London City Travelodge

In total the chain aims to create 400 super rooms across London and major UK cities.

The group expects to open 20 new hotels amounting to more than 1,900 rooms across the UK in 2018, expanding its network to 578 Travelodge hotels in the UK, Spain and Ireland.

These hotels are being developed by third party investors, with an approximate equivalent investment value of £240 million.

Over the past five years, Travelodge has opened 78 new hotels, which represents an investment value of more than £600 million for third party investors and has created 2,000 new jobs.

The group says it has made significant investment in raising the quality levels across its estate during this period. This includes a £100 million hotel modernisation programme and improving digital platforms.

On the back of this investment, the group has seen a rise in more corporate and business customers staying at Travelodge hotels.

Today business customers represent a higher proportion of overall sales than leisure customers and as a result the company’s 2018 opening programme is more focused on key business-focused locations.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge's chief executive, said: "Despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit and economic pressures, the UK budget hotel market remains attractive, and we are extending our network to put us where our customers want to be, while creating hundreds of new jobs across the country.”

“Much of our recent success has been driven by our investment in quality and growing appeal to business customers. Our new hotels increasingly serve business locations and more and more customers are choosing our new super rooms.

"The opening of our largest ever new build hotel this year, in the financial district of the city of London, shows just how far Travelodge has travelled since we opened our first 20-room hotel by the side of the A38 in 1985.”