Accor to double Etap UK estate

Hotel group Accor has revealed plans to double the UK estate of its budget brand Etap this year.

There are currently eight Etap properties across the UK and Accor plans a further eight in Bradford, Manchester, Newport, Derby, Portsmouth, Leicester, Birmingham Airport and London Hounslow.

Roget Smith, director of communications at Accor, said budget hotel brands such as Etap were well positioned to cope with any downturn in the economy.

"We believe that a price-led product that can deliver guaranteed standards and genuine value is going to be a winner in any economic climate," he said.

"In the short-term we think tales of gloom and doom for the UK hotel market are premature and, in the long-term, our ambition remains to develop a strong UK network of Etap Hotels and turn the brand into a major player in the domestic market."

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By Gemma Sharkey

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