ONE of the country's biggest hotel chains has announced it is actively seeking sites in Whitby.
Travelodge is seeking to open 55 new hotels in Britain's traditional seaside holiday market by 2015 and has put the town at the top of its list.
Whitby, along with Scarborough, has been targeted as Travelodge say both are perfect locations for inv
estment due to their lack of budget hotels and excellent coastal location.
The company says it is seeking a site to build on or an existing premises to take over in the town and is offering rewards for people who help them find a location.
One possibility for the firm is on Whitby's West Cliff with a new hotel being planned in Royal Crescent as part of a redevelopment in the area.
Grant Hearn, chief executive of Travelodge, said: "Expansion in Britain's seaside resorts is an increasingly important part of Travelodge's plan to open a hotel every six working days.
"Whitby and Scarborough are exactly the right location for a Travelodge and the benefits will be felt across the town.
"If anyone knows of a site which may be suitable for conversion into a Travelodge then I urge you to get in touch with us.
"We pay £500 per room for tips that lead to a hotel opening so it could be well worth your while."
The first budget hotel brand to launch in the UK in 1985, Travelodge now operates 325 hotels in the UK alone.
Graham Collinson, chairman of Whitby Hospitality Association, said: "It will be interesting to see what happens and if Travelodge can find somewhere to build their hotel.
"You can't stop competition and we have lost a number of hotel rooms recently to flat conversions so I guess we'll just have to watch this space."
Meanwhile a Whitby councillor has urged local MPs to support a campaign by Travelodge to promote British seaside holidays.
The Save Our Seaside campaign has been the subject of an Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons congratulating the company on its scheme.
Coun Robert Broadley said: "Revitalising our seaside towns is not something any one organisation can do.
"It will require a partnership of business, central and local government and individuals as consumers. Travelodge clearly realise this.
"The Yorkshire coast is rightly famed for its beauty, so we need to promote the towns of Whitby, Scarborough and Filey as places where people can come to enjoy it.
"I hope our North Yorkshire coastal MPs Robert Goodwill and John Greenway will appreciate what Travelodge are trying to do and sign the EDM."
The full article contains 437 words and appears in Whitby Gazette Tuesday newspaper.
