A MAJOR hotel chain has approached several Hampshire councils, including Winchester, offering to go into partnership with them on new developments.

Travelodge has written to 210 councils across the UK, including Southampton City, New Forest District, Fareham Borough and Winchester City.

The company, which operates more than 550 hotels, has told the councils it can help create new jobs and generate income by building hotels on surplus council land.

Its aim is to build 200 new hotels over the next 10 years.

In recent years, Travelodge has completed seven development partnership deals with local authorities, including Eastleigh, and has also opened hotels in Aylesbury, Bicester, Dudley, Redhill and Thetford, with another due for Telford in 2018.

Initial funding for the schemes has been provided directly by the local authority or or via low-cost funding from the Public Works Loan Board or third party resources.

Upon completion of the hotel development, local authorities have the choice of either retaining ownership of the hotel and receiving an annual rent or selling, with Travelodge as its operator.

Earlier this year the Chronicle reported that Travelodge was keen to build more hotels in Hampshire, and Bryn Taylor, regional director for Travelodge, described the county as a “goldmine for growth’’.

He added: “Following our £3 million investment in upgrading the customer experience and raising quality levels across our 17 other Hampshire hotels, we have seen a double digit increase in sales; interestingly with more business customers staying in our hotels than ever before.’’

It understood that Travelodge has a target for seven new hotels in Hampshire bring its total in the county up to 25.

Travelodge’s largest ever hotel will form part of its next wave of expansion in yet another sign the low-cost player is putting its high-profile restructuring behind it.

The company completed a £100 million upgrade of its hotel rooms in December 2015, the same year it also recorded £100 million in operating profits for the first time in its 30-year history.

Chief executive Peter Gowers has said that the company was seeking to attract more business customers.