by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Travelodge is to create 20 jobs, some for the long-term unemployed, with the opening of a 60-bed hotel in Sittingbourne.

The discount chain is investing £3.6m in the project in Bell Road, and working with Job Centre Plus to recruit entry-level staff who have been out of work for many months.

Guy Parsons, Travelodge chief executive said: "Despite the challenging consumer market, the demand for low cost, good quality, hotels is a growing trend across the UK.

"We have been looking for some time to find the right site in Sittingbourne and we are delighted to be building a hotel at Bell Road."

Sittingbourne is one of 22 new Travelodge hotels opening (2,198 rooms) across the UK as part of a £165m investment, boosting room capacity by 2,200.

The chain is increasing its total number of hotels to 540, with 40,000 rooms.

Budget hotels have seen a steep rise in business in recent years, with market share expected to rise from 16 per cent to 26 per cent over the next two decades.