Plans for Port Royal >> a Travelodge comes to town?

There have been rumours for some time that Premier Inn are interested in Sidmouth:
Futures Forum: Plans for Port Royal: anticipating a Regeneration Board >> a Premier Inn comes to Eastern Town?

Meanwhile, it appears that Travelodge definitely have Sidmouth on a 'target location list':

TRAVELODGE HOTELS LIMITED NEW HOTELS TARGET LOCATION LIST 
South West, South Coast & M4 Corridor
July 2016

THL Regional Target Location List

This, together with possible interest from Premier Inn, could impact significantly on the town's independent hospitality business.

As pointed out by a correspondent with regard to a report from Whitbread, Premier Inn's parent company:

It lists the towns where they are interested, which does not include Sidmouth.  However, just look at the number of rooms in their future plans - 85,000 by 2020. And with 100,000 as the number they see as achievable, it is clear that these extra 15,000 will have to come from somewhere...

This must have an impact on local B&Bs wherever they pitch up and have a knock on effect on hoteliers:

Of particular interest is this comment in the report: 

• the significant ‘independent’ hotel segment is in structural decline. 

Running a hotel is becoming more complex and costly. Proprietors must manage to ever higher customer standards and increasingly must also be digital entrepreneurs, competing with online travel agents and disrupters as well as traditional local competition’

Whitbread - annual report 2017
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