The popular UK hotel brand Travelodge is set to open its first hotel in the Isle of Man after it received planning permission.

The company announced that it has now exchanged contracts for a new hotel in Douglas, with plans to develop a standalone, new-build, 80-room Travelodge, along with an on-site restaurant and ‘85 Bar Cafe’.

This is part of a mixed-use scheme that will also include two new grade-A office buildings.

Travelodge has agreed a 30-year lease term with local developer Tevir Group, with Whitestone Retail and Leisure acting on behalf of Travelodge to secure the deal.

A spokesperson from Travelodge said: ‘The site is in a prime location and will form part of the new Villiers Square development, 60 metres from the seafront, a four-minute walk from the Ferry Terminal and a two-minute walk to the prime retail pitch on Strand Street.

‘It is also within easy walking distance of Douglas’ key attractions, including the Manx Museum, Gaiety Theatre and Douglas Harbour.

‘The new Travelodge hotel will assist in achieving the Visit Isle of Man objective of creating 500 new and modern hotel bedrooms by 2032. The opening of the hotel will also create 27 new jobs within the local community.’

Detailed planning permission has been received and construction is expected to begin in early 2025, with handover of the hotel expected in 2026.

Tony O’Brien, UK development director at Travelodge, said: ‘This new Travelodge in Douglas will be an excellent addition to our hotel portfolio and we couldn’t be more delighted to open our first hotel on the Isle of Man.

‘We have been looking for a suitable opportunity to open a new Travelodge here for many years, and Villiers Square is the perfect site for a new, modern hotel that will provide great value and quality accommodation for leisure and business visitors to the island.

‘We are excited for construction to begin in the new year and want to thank our Development Team of Whitestone Retail and Leisure for their hard work in securing and delivering this fantastic new project.’

Ciaran Doherty, managing director of the Tevir Group, said: ‘We are delighted to confirm Travelodge as our initial tenant on this landmark project, which will play an important role in enhancing Douglas’ hospitality offering.

‘Villiers Square is a prominent development in our city centre, and the addition of a well-recognised, trusted brand like Travelodge will make it even more attractive to both business and leisure travellers visiting the Isle of Man.

‘This collaboration aligns with our vision for Villiers Square as a dynamic mixed-use space in the heart of Douglas. We are proud to contribute to the island’s tourism and hospitality goals and look forward to seeing construction begin in early 2025.

‘We want to thank our design team and the team from Travelodge for their hard work to bring the project to this exciting point.’

Tevir Group’s application for the multi-million pound redevelopment of the Villiers Square site was unanimously approved by the planning committee back in April.

Its proposals for a mixed-use development comprises more than 80,000 square feet of office, retail and leisure space as well as the new Travelodge hotel.

The Department for Enterprise welcomed the redevelopment of one of the largest of Douglas' key brownfield sites.

Recommending approval, the planning officer said the proposals were of high standard and were deemed to ‘give rise to a positive impact upon the character and appearance of the wider Conservation Area by redeveloping a prominent gap site’.

The plans had also received conditional support from Douglas Council.