Travelodge plans to offer new jobs - graduate jobs

Nearly 550 new jobs are to be created by hotel chain Travelodge over the coming years, with opportunities for graduates also likely to be made available.

The company aims to create the positions by 2015 across 36 new sites next to pubs, through a £100 million expansion programme.

The project will be implemented in collaboration with pub companies including Greene King, Marston's, Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) and JD Wetherspoon. The new developments will be jointly funded by the firms.

According to the company, developing joint sites with pub owners could lead to a number of benefits.

Hotels can attract more customers by having a pub on site with a menu offering strong food, while pubs could enjoy an increase in sales as guests at the hotels eat and drink there.

Working together could help to bring down the cost of new developments, while the businesses can also share parking spaces and other facilities.

The announcement comes as many pubs focus more on selling food as well as drink, with the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) citing UK pubs as now selling a billion meals a year.

While hundreds of pubs have closed in recent years as people choose to stay at home, tempted by cheap supermarket alcohol deals, several pub companies have recently announced plans to open new outlets in locations such as retail and leisure parks where customers are more likely to sit down and eat.