Travelodge to open first branch on Isle of Man

Travelodge has entered a 30-year lease with developers of a complex in Douglas

A budget hotel will open its first branch on the Isle of Man in a development which is part funded by the government in a bid to regenerate brownfield sites.

Travelodge has announced it will enter a 30-year lease with developers, Tevir Properties, for a mixed use site on Villiers Square in Douglas comprising an 80- bed hotel, restaurant and bar cafe.

Plans for the multi-million pound complex which also includes retail and office space were approved in April and construction is set to begin early next year.

The development is being subsidised by the government's Infrastructure Scheme which sees 25% of building costs paid for.

Tony O'Brien, UK Development Director of Travelodge said the hotel chain had been looking for a "suitable opportunity" to open a branch on the Isle of Man for "many years" and Villiers Square was the "perfect site".

The chain will enter a 30-year lease with handover of the hotel set to take place in 2026.

It said the opening of the Travelodge branch would see the creation of 27 jobs.

The office and retail complex is to be built along the promenade, with the six-storey hotel set behind.

The site, which also borders Ridgeway Street, has not had significant development for 30 years.

Ciaran Doherty, Managing Director of Tevir Group, said the collaboration aligned with a "vision" for Villiers Square to be a "dynamic mixed-use space in the heart of Douglas".