Budget hotel chain Travelodge has announced plans for a 37-property, £135m expansion of its estate into National Parks across the UK in response to "high customer demand".

The group said that an increasing trend towards staycations and a "surge" in the number of UK residents looking to take a rural holiday in the past year had prompted its latest move. Travelodge's property team has now been instructed to seek out 37 new locations near to 15 National Parks, including Aviemore (Cairngorms) and Betws-y-Coed (Snowdonia).

The size of the proposed hotels will vary from between 30 - under the group's Metro brand - and 100 bedrooms, which will depend on the location and building requirements. Travelodge chief executive Guy Parsons said: "As more Britons explore the UK, they are rediscovering new holiday hotspots and as a result, we have seen a significant surge in rural breaks.

"Annually, more than 60 million people visit the UK's national parks and it's clear that visitors are now seeking to turn their rural daycation trip into a staycation."