A Travelodge Harrow hotel could be opened in time for the London Olympics.

The budget accommodation chain is investigating opportunities, as is Hampton by Hilton an American economy venture by the luxury worldwide brand that is coming to the UK.


The borough currently boasts approximately 900 rooms - including those at the University of Westminster campus - but Harrow Council wants to see this number rise by at least 10 per cent by 2012.


A spokesman for Travelodge said: "We strongly believe there isn't enough hotel capacity in London boroughs. Outer London is woefully under supplied.


"It's fair to say we have identified a number of sites in Harrow that we are currently looking at developing.


"We'd consider an interest in taking over a going concern and we'd also look at new-build.


"For Harrow, the hotel will be between 50 and 120 rooms, I would assume, since that's the size we go for."


A spokeswoman for Hampton by Hilton said: "There are sites across the UK that we are interested in and I can confirm Harrow is one of them.


"Hampton by Hilton hotels tend to be new-build. However, if there were opportunities to convert that's no less a possibility."


Harrow Council is still to do decide whether to approval plans to convert empty Scanmoor House in Northolt Road, South Harrow, into a 40-room hotel.


The council's tourism stategy aims to bring in a raft of measures to also increase spending by overseas visitors by 20 per cent to £96million and the total spend for all types of visitors by 10 per cent.