Travelodge is set to open 300 new hotels across the UK in a huge expansion for the budget accommodation giant. The plans will bring its total catalogue of hotels to around 900 sites across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The affordable hotel chain said it had written to 220 local authorities proposing a joint development partnership that it said would boost regeneration in their towns and cities. The letter includes a direct call to action on how Travelodge can support councils it doesn’t currently work with to “collectively support Britain’s recovery” from the pandemic. For more than 120 towns such as Ripon, Lichfield and Cromer, it could be an opportunity to have their first branded hotel - “revolutionising” its local economy, Travelodge said. The expansion programme could also represent an investment of around £3 billion for third party investors and create over 9,000 jobs across the UK. In 2022, Travelodge opened six new hotels, three of which came off the back of local authority partnerships with two hotels located in London at Docklands and Wimbledon and the third hotel situated in Braintree. The group is also currently on site with construction of two further Travelodge hotels being delivered in direct partnership with local authorities in Rotherham and Colchester. The Rotherham Travelodge is the group’s first hotel in Rotherham and it is also the first branded hotel in the town centre. For Colchester, it is the group’s second Travelodge hotel. Steve Bennett, Travelodge’s chief property and development officer, said: “In the current climate, local authorities are under extreme pressure to invest in their economy and support regeneration projects. This is why we are today writing to 220 local authorities to offer our support, as we can make a real difference. “We have a proven track record of working with 25 forward-thinking local authorities across the UK from Ashford to Stirling. Our effective, innovative co-partnership development deals are spearheading regional economic growth and providing a solid long-term revenue stream.” The local authority partnerships so far have had “unique funding structures”, all of which Travelodge said have enabled them to create jobs, generate income and help to regenerate brownfield land in strategically important locations. Upon completion of the hotel development, local authorities have the choice of either retaining ownership of the hotel and receiving an annual rent into the Council’s revenue budget or selling the hotel with Travelodge as its operator. The two recent London Travelodge hotel openings at Docklands and Wimbledon as well as Colchester were lease-wrapper deals, also known as income-strip deals. Under this structure, the Council takes a head lease, with Travelodge being the undertenant. The rent that the Council pays is lower than the rent it receives from Travelodge - with an annual profit rent for a 30 plus year period. Travelodge said that this kind of structure enables developments to take place which otherwise would not be financially-viable and therefore delivers new town centre regeneration which would not otherwise happen. “Britain is now a nation of budget travellers, with more of us choosing to stay in budget hotels than any other hotel type and this trend is set to grow, which is why we are looking to expand our UK hotel network with a further 300 hotels,” Mr Bennett added. “Adding a Travelodge hotel can be a catalyst to attract new businesses, support regeneration, bring vacant buildings back into economic use as well as attracting thousands of new overnight visitors to the area and revitalising high streets. In addition, our research shows that, on average, Travelodge customers will spend at least double their room rate with local businesses during their stay - this can be an annual, multi-million pound boost into the local economy.”