A budget hotel chain which just seven years ago teetered on the brink of administration, has reported yet another year of growth.

Travelodge, which has hotels across Kent, including Canterbury, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Chatham, Dartford and Whitstable, saw revenues up 8.8% for the full year 2018 to £693.3m.

Since a major restructuring in 2012, it has seen sales rise by £250m over the last four years.

It saw overall room occupancy rise to 78.5% with an average room rate remaining stable at £53.09. It is one of many firms looking to capitalise on a need for more hotel rooms in the county.

Peter Gowers, Travelodge chief executive, described the figures as "a set of excellent results". He said: "We extended our network of hotels, remained focused on delivering attractive prices and took another step forward on quality.

"Once again we outperformed our competitive segment and delivered another year of strong growth, with EBITDA [earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation] up £9.6m to £122m.

"These are uncertain times and we are not immune from the short-term challenges, but beyond, we remain confident that there are more opportunities ahead.

"These results highlight Travelodge's transformation over the last five years.

"Over that period, Travelodge’s sales are up by more than £250m, we’ve outperformed our competitive segment for five years in a row, opened more than 60 new hotels and more than trebled our profitability.

"People are noticing the difference, culminating in our being recognised, for the first time, as one of the world's top ten global hotel chains by TripAdvisor. The long-term growth opportunities for the budget sector remain strong and we expect to open 100 new hotels over the next five years, creating approximately 3,000 jobs."

The company has committed to major expansion across Kent with hopes of opening a string of new sites.

Earlier this year, it cut the ribbon on its hotel as part of Ashford's new Elwick Place and acquired a site in Rochester, also revealed a recruitment drive targetting parents wanting to work around the school run.