HOTEL chain Travelodge has today announced the opening of its first hotel in the heart of Bishop s Stortford. The new hotel – on Birchanger Lane – was the former Best Western Stansted Manor Hotel. The new property adds 70 rooms to Travelodge s estate and

HOTEL chain Travelodge has today announced the opening of its first hotel in the heart of Bishop's Stortford.

The new hotel - on Birchanger Lane - was the former Best Western Stansted Manor Hotel. The new property adds 70 rooms to Travelodge's estate and will maintain 15 jobs in the town.

Due to its close proximity to Stansted Airport and the M11, Bishop's Stortford Travelodge was identified as a key site to add to Travelodge's property pipeline. With such strong transport links to the airport and London, the hotel is an ideal base for both leisure and business travellers.

Currently, 48 per cent of Travelodge's hotels in the UK are in city and town centre locations, building on the budget hotel company's strategy of moving into the major UK towns and cities.

Travelodge's managing director for development, Paul Harvey, said: "Whilst the property market is still challenging, we have been able to add some fantastic sites to our estate such as this hotel.

"Our growth pipeline for 2010 is off to a flying start with the opening of a key hotel in close proximity to Stansted Airport. With three former three-star properties converted and re-opened as Travelodge hotels so far this year, we have managed to enter new towns like Bishop's Stortford for the first time."

The opening of Bishop's Stortford Travelodge is one of three Travelodge Going Concern properties to open this week. The other two properties are a conversion of a Ramada Encore in York city centre as well as a conversion of an independent hotel in Edinburgh city centre.