Travelodge targets port locations to tap into thriving cruise market
Budget hotel chain Travelodge said yesterday that it plans to cash in on a boom in cruise and ferry trips by building 14 new hotels in key port locations across the UK.
The company, which has 516 hotels in the UK, Ireland and Spain, plans to invest £84m on opening hotels in port locations including Portsmouth, Plymouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Harwich.
The number of people embarking on cruise and ferry trips from UK ports has grown year-on-year, with from the Department for Transport showing the UK international sea passengers rose to 22.4m in 2013.
“The UK’s ports are going through something of a renaissance at the moment with significant investments taking place across the country,” James Cooper, chief executive of the Association of British Ports, said.
Travelodge already has 48 port based hotels and said these have reported a nine per cent increase in occupancy during the last 12 months.
The announcement came as Travelodge opened its third hotel in Southampton.