Hotel group target expansion in national parks across UK

Budget hotel chain Travelodge has unveiled plans to open 37 sites near to the UK's 15 national parks.

The group, which currently has 475 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain, said the 135 million expansion drive was in response to high customer demand for hotels close to the UK's top rural locations.

Its property team will focus efforts on finding sites near to locations such as Aviemore, providing access to the Cairngorms, Betws-y-Coed (Snowdonia), Grasmere (Lake District) and Minehead (Exmoor).

Chief executive Guy Parsons said more Britons were holidaying at home than ever before.

He added: "Traditionally, Britons have opted for a coastal or city break but as more Britons explore the UK they are rediscovering new holiday hotspots and, as a result, we have seen a significant surge in rural breaks."

Travelodge, which has enjoyed a period of rapid growth, said its existing hotels within a wide radius of the main national parks achieved high occupancy levels far earlier than normal this year.

The most popular sites have included Barnstaple (Exmoor), Porthmadog (Snowdonia), Cockermouth (Lake District) and Scarborough (North Yorkshire Moors).

The planned hotels will range from 30 rooms to about 100, depending on the location and building requirements. It is expected the expansion will create more than 500 jobs across the UK.