Cruise hotel plan

THE Travelodge hotel chain in the UK has flagged ambitions to make the most of the cruise sector, with plans for 10 new hotels at Britain’s busiest cruise ports.

The strategy was revealed at the opening of the first Travelodge hotel in Dover

- a purpose-built 108-room property just a few minutes from the cruise terminal.

Other sites are being sought in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hull, Harwich, Liverpool, Poole, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Tilbury and Southampton.

“The cruise boom is still underway and is predicted to grow stronger; therefore we are getting on board now,” said Travelodge UK property director Tony O’Brien.

He said the expansion represented a £60 million investment for the company’s third party investors, as well as the creation of about 300 new hospitality jobs.