HOTEL chain Travelodge has opened its first hotel in Sale.

The Mayor of Trafford, Councillor Judith Lloyd, carried out the honours to officially open Travelodge’s first hotel in Sale, which is also the company’s eighteenth hotel in Greater Manchester.

She was joined by Travelodge regional director, Nichola Stevens, at the ribbon cutting event on Tuesday.

The new £4 million hotel, in Citygate, Cross Street, has created 18 new jobs.

It is a 67-room office conversion hotel and boasts a bar café offering a breakfast, dinner and bar menu and on-site car-parking.

The new hotel represents a £4 million investment for the landlord and has created 18 new jobs.

The Mayor said: “I am incredibly grateful to Travelodge for the opportunity to attend the official opening of its new hotel in Sale. The addition of the Travelodge has already had a positive impact on Sale and the surrounding area by providing employment for many local residents.

"The hotel is located in a fantastic location and will certainly help boost visitor numbers to the area as it provides easy access to some of Trafford’s most popular attractions such as Old Trafford Football ground, Lancashire County Cricket Club and intu Trafford Centre, as well as Sale Waterside and Trafford Water Sports Centre.”

Sale Travelodge is being managed by Briony Donnelly who was born and raised in Sale. She has worked within the hotel industry for the past 14 years in Greater Manchester.

Briony’s team of 17 have been recruited via Travelodge’s long term partnership with Job Centre Plus – helping the long term back into work.

Briony said: “Not in my wildest dreams did I think that I would be making history in Sale by managing the town’s first Travelodge Hotel. I am absolutely thrilled to be given this amazing opportunity."

the hotel opend for business on September 19 and Briony added: "We have been literally booked out with business customers during the week and leisure travellers at the weekend, since we opened for business. This is great news for the local economy too, as our research shows that annually Travelodge customers will spend over £2 million with local businesses during their stay with us.”

At the opening, Travelodge announced plans to expand across the county and is looking to boost its portfolio of 18 Travelodge hotels to 25.