Budget hotel chain Travelodge has confirmed its £6 million hotel in Sittingbourne will be one of 17 opening this year.

The new 63-room hotel will open on the town’s new Bourne Place leisure quarter, opposite the railway station, creating 20 new jobs.

It will join an eight-screen Light Cinema and big-name restaurants including Nando’s, Pizza Express, Creams and Loungers – all part of Sittingbourne’s multi-million pound regeneration scheme.

The hotel will be Travelodge’s 16th in Kent and is part of the company’s UK expansion programme, which includes opening 17 new hotels and creating over 350 new jobs. It is also planning to open one in Rochester in 2019.

The openings will boost the chain’s hotel network to 595 locations in the UK, Spain and Ireland.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge chief executive, said: "Despite the uncertainty facing the UK, the long-term prospects for low-cost hotels remain strong.

“The next phase of our expansion plan will see us deliver more choice in more places than ever before.

“We’ve come a long way from our early days by the side of the motorway."

He added: “Britain’s travellers are changing. We expect more and, increasingly, we travel to a wider range of places.

“More and more of us are working away from home during the week and we’re taking more long weekends.

“Travelodge now has to satisfy the needs of travellers who just want the essentials at a low price, and of those who also value the little extras.

“With a network expected to reach 595 hotels this year, we’re focused on making sure we can give you the right choice, in the right place, at the right price.”

Progress on the new branch is in stark contrast to a previous plan for a Travelodge at the former Bell Centre site.

That plan was scrapped after the developer went into administration.

The £57 million Spirit of Sittingbourne scheme is designed to help pull in 400,000 visitors a year once complete.

The new cinema and restaurants are set to open to the public early next year.

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