The planned opening of 20 new hotels, including one in East Anglia, is part of a drive by budget brand Travelodge to target growing demand from business customers.

East Anglian Daily Times: Guests at the start of work on the site of the new Travelodge hotel in Bury St Edmunds, part of a development which will also include a Starbucks coffee shop. Picture: MICHAEL STEWARDGuests at the start of work on the site of the new Travelodge hotel in Bury St Edmunds, part of a development which will also include a Starbucks coffee shop. Picture: MICHAEL STEWARD (Image: Archant)

Travelodge aims to expand its portfolio across the UK, Ireland and Spain to a total of 578 sites during 2018, involving the addition of more than 1,900 rooms and the creation of 550 new jobs.

Among the new developments – all being supported by third party investors, with a total equivalent investment value of around £240m – will be an 80-bedroom hotel in Etna Road, Bury St Edmunds, where work is already in progress.

The latest expansion follows the roll out last year of 1,000 “SuperRooms”, the company’s new premium economy concept, to which a further 400 rooms will be added this year in major cities.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge chief executive, said: “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.”

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

It has also made a significant investment in raising the quality levels across its estate, including a £100m hotel modernisation programme, upgrading food and drink offerings and improving digital platforms as well as the launch of the SuperRoom concept.

On the back of this investment, the group has seen a rise in corporate and SME business customers staying at Travelodge hotels than ever before, with business customers now representing a higher proportion of overall sales than leisure customers.