Budget hotel chain Travelodge is to build 13 new hotels in a £62 million scheme which will create 350 jobs, it was announced yesterday.
The new establishments, including four in the London area, will add an extra 1,224 rooms to the company's existing 28,000 rooms.
The 13 hotels also includes ones in Cambridge, Birmingham, Huddersfield and Aldershot in Hampshire. Travelodge's development managing director, Paul Harvey, said the new hotels would help the company step up its presence in some of the UK's leading cities.
He added: "During the recession we have taken the opportunity to grow where many have put their development on hold.
"In 2009 we secured more hotels than any other year in our history and have been able to attain superior sites due to lower property prices."