Travelodge is looking to grow its coastal hotel network with a further 26 properties in seaside resorts and coastal towns in the British Isles.

The hotel chain opened its first seaside hotel in Brighton in 1999 and has opened its 36th seaside resort hotel at Rhyl beach. 

Travelodge currently operates 584 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain.

This coastal expansion programme of 26 hotels would represent a potential investment of £165 million for third party investors and would create around 650 new jobs.

The Travelodge coastal development target list stretches the length and breadth of the UK map and beyond. 

Starting from Lerwick, the capital of the Shetlands, going down and across to Pwllheli, in Wales, and then, down to Cornwall and beyond to Jersey and Guernsey.

The group’s latest seaside hotel opening, Rhyl Seafront Travelodge, is the town’s first branded hotel to be located at the beach.

It is also the company’s ninth local authority development partnership. 

Denbighshire County Council recognised that a hotel could play a leading role in the regeneration of Rhyl and actively sought this innovative partnership with Travelodge to help boost its local economy. 

The hotel has been built on Denbighshire County Council-owned land and forms part of a wider, council-led £25 million regeneration programme along the Rhyl seafront.

Tony O’Brien, Travelodge UK development director, said: “We are seeing the rebirth of British seaside resorts and coastal towns as a result of Britons changing holiday habits.

“We are becoming a strong Staycation nation that likes to take lots of short breaks throughout the year rather than a traditional two-week block holiday.

“To support this growing trend, we are looking to enter new markets and extend our network of coastal location hotels so that we can offer more choice and greater value to the modern leisure traveller.”

Other towns in Travelodge’s sights include: Aberystwyth, Bognor Regis, Bournemouth, Eastbourne, Lowestoft, Falmouth, Western Super Mare and Folkestone.