A 113-bedroom hotel building which has divided opinion in Maidstone due to its unusual appearance will be officially opened on Tuesday.

The Travelodge Maidstone Central, will be unveiled by Maidstone and the Weald MP Ann Widdecombe. It is the first budget hotel to be opened in Maidstone town centre and cost £4.2million to build.

The hotel chain has created 30 jobs in the area in conjunction with the JobCentre Plus scheme - which targets the long-term unemployed.

To celebrate the opening Travelodge organised an art project with local school, St Francis Catholic Primary School who were set the task of designing their dream hotel.

All entries are displayed in the hotel’s Bar Café and will judged by Miss Widdecome with a prize of a free family weekend break at any Travelodge hotel in the UK on offer.

The building, which is in St Peter's Street and overlooks the River Medway and the Maidstone Bridge System, has been criticised by some, who have made their views known on Facebook.

But Miss Widdecombe welcomed any company willing to invest in Maidstone.

Ian Paton, Maidstone Central Travelodge’s Hotel Manager, said: "I am extremely proud to be given the opportunity to run Maidstone’s first Travelodge.

"Given the pressures on everyone’s finances, there is a real demand for low cost accommodation in the area and my team and I are looking forward to being able to provide it."

The opening ceremony starts at midday. Anyone who is intrigued by the building is welcome to pop down and take a look at some of the areas inside.