Travelodge has announced the opening of 20 hotels in the UK in 2018, including its largest ever new build.

The expansion will see 1,900 rooms added to the hotel operator’s portfolio, creating 550 jobs and expanding its network across the UK, Spain and Ireland to 578 properties. The hotels will be developed by third party investors to the tune of £240M (268.7M€)

The group is targeting key business hubs with its new locations, including London Dagenham, the Port of Dover, Chester, Glasgow and Solihull. Travelodge will also continue to invest in its bar café offering, which will be incorporated into 14 of its 20 new openings.

2018 will also see the operator roll out its premium economy concept SuperRooms to 400 additional rooms in London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester and York, bringing the total to 1,400.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge’s chief executive said: “Today’s announcement demonstrates Travelodge’s continued investment in the UK. 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 SuperRooms. 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,” he added.