TWENTY six new jobs are being created with the opening of a new £7.5 million hotel in York.

An 80-bedroom Travelodge, with a bar and restaurant, will open off Monks Cross Drive, near the Pear Tree Farm pub, in the lead up to Christmas.

The hotel chain said the opening will create 26 new jobs including roles for a hotel manager, receptionist, bar staff and housekeeping.

Craig Bonnar, Travelodge chief operating officer said: “We are very excited to be opening our fifth Travelodge hotel in York. Right now our focus is to build a strong team to manage the hotel. Therefore we are looking for colleagues who are dedicated and passionate about delivering great service. We can teach the skills that they need and we are totally committed in developing our people. We operate a successful in-house management development programme, which has helped thousands of colleagues; climb the career ladder into management via an entry level position.”

Flexible working patterns are available to make it easier for parents to work while raising a family.

The planning application for the hotel predicted that more than 38,000 guests would stay at the hotel each year.

They outlined that the project is due to be completed by the middle of November.

It will be the fifth Travelodge to open in the city following the opening of a Layerthorpe hotel in August 2017.