Travelodge has announced plans to build 35 new hotels this year - in the UK and in Spain - as part of a £300m investment in its estate.

The move will increase the hotel operator's portfolio to 495 hotels and comes as the group increased its growth targets to have 1,100 properties by 2025. More than half of the new-build Travelodge hotels to open this year are being built in major UK cities, including Birmingham; Cardiff; Liverpool; and Manchester.

Five of the properties will be developed in coastal locations such as Morecambe and Paignton, while a new Travelodge is also planned for Valencia Airport, Spain. Travelodge chief executive Guy Parsons said: "We have successfully acquired superior sites due to lower market property prices, which otherwise would not have been available for hotel use.

"We have demonstrated our commitment to expand and have a clear growth plan laid out which means we will reach more than 1,100 hotels and 100,000 rooms by 2025."