Travelodge aiming to double hotel portfolio in Suffolk

Travelodge has announced it is looking to double its presence in Suffolk, which has been named as a "key growth area" for the budget hotel group.

It revealed it is "actively looking" for a further nine hotel sites in Suffolk after opening its fourth hotel and first budget-luxe site in Ipswich, which represented a multi-million investment for the landlord, the Burney Group.

Travelodge cited the "shortage of good quality and great value accommodation" in the region as a reason for expansion.

Target locations included Aldeburgh or Felixstowe, Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Martlesham, Newmarket, Southwold, Saxmundham and Sudbury, five of which do not have a Travelodge.

Currently, Travelodge owns seven hotels in Suffolk and 598 properties across the country.

It said the expansion programme could offer multi-million pound investment opportunities for third party investors and create 225 jobs in Suffolk.

Steve Bennett, chief property and development officer at Travelodge, said: "We are delighted to open our fourth hotel in Ipswich and bring our new premium look and feel budget-luxe concept to the county.

"This hotel opening also kick-starts our Suffolk expansion programme as we would like to double our hotel portfolio in the county in response to growing leisure and business travellers visiting the area for holidays, events and for business.

"At present there is a shortage of good quality and great value accommodation. Therefore to fulfil this growing demand we are actively looking for a further nine hotel sites, which includes a fifth location in Ipswich."