Travelodge to expand into rural locations
Travelodge is to spend £135m acquiring 37 hotels in rural locations across the UK following a rise in the number of Britons visiting National Parks.
The budget hotel chain said that although coastal locations were traditionally the most popular holiday destinations for Brits, it has seen a surge in rural breaks over the past 12 months.
It said its hotels that were within a wide radius of the main National Parks hadd achieved high occupancy levels far earlier than normal this year, the most popular being in Barnstaple in Exmoor, Porthmadog in Snowdonia, Cockermouth in the Lake District and Scarborough, near the North Yorkshire moors.
In response to this growing trend, the Travelodge property team has been instructed to heavily focus their efforts on finding 37 suitable sites near to the UK’s 15 National Parks. Locations include Aviemore in the Cairngorms, Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, Grasmere in the Lake District and Minehead in Exmoor.
The hotel size will range from 30 rooms – Travelodge’s new ‘Metro’ style hotel – to over 100 bedrooms depending on the location and building requirements. The expansion will create over 500 jobs across the country.
Travelodge chief executive Guy Parsons said: “The staycation break is here to stay, more Britons are holidaying at home now than ever before. Traditionally Britons have opted for a coastal or city break but as more Britons explore the UK they are rediscovering new holiday hotspots and as a result, we have seen a significant surge in rural breaks.
“In addition as a pet friendly hotel company, we have around 500 customers staying with us every week who holiday or travel with their dogs. By having a wider selection of rural locations we will be able to offer a wider selection of dog friendly holidays across the UK.”
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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