By Pam McClounie

Last updated at 12:20, Monday, 20 February 2012

Hotel giant Travelodge wants expand into west Cumbria and Keswick, the News & Star can reveal.

Travelodge logo

The budget chain has named Workington/Whitehaven and Keswick as new growth areas for 2012.

It says it wants to open two new hotels in each of these places – with 60 beds each.

Nick Howard, spokesman for Travelodge, said: “Ideally we would like to move into west Cumbria and the Lakes. This is an area that we are interested in and if we could get hotels in Workington/Whitehaven and Keswick then we would be more than happy.

“We are scouring sites all the time looking for suitable locations.

“We have a couple of sites that we like in Whitehaven in a nice location but nothing confirmed as yet.”

Travelodge already has hotels in Cockermouth, Penrith and Carlisle city centre. Mr Howard said Travelodge did look at the derelict motel site on the A595 at Moota but has discounted it. Last year the London-based company Then Hospitality was granted planning permission to build a two-storey 44-bedroom hotel on the site of the former Moota Motel.

Despite planning permission being granted, work has yet to start.

Travelodge said it is also looking at new hotels in Windermere/Bowness and Kendal – each with 60 beds.

Last year it announced it wanted to open hotels in Ulverston, Windermere, Grasmere and Ambleside.

First published at 11:26, Monday, 20 February 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk