A major hotel chain will create 150 jobs when it opens three new premises in Edinburgh.

Premier Inn is investing £35m in the hotels in the city, including its first "hub" outside of London, while ten apprentices will be taken on as part of the expansion project.

Two of the hotels are within the New Waverley regeneration site on East Market Street, just off the Royal Mile in the Old Town.

They are made up of a 121-bedroom "hub", which offers guests advanced technology including the use of an Apple watch to control room settings, and a 127-bedroom Premier Inn, both of which are due to open in March.

Another Premier Inn with a capacity for 127 people will open in York Place in the New Town in the late spring.

Simon Ewins, chief operating officer for Premier Inn and Hub, said: "We are absolutely delighted to be opening three new fantastic hotels in Edinburgh and it is great that we are able to bring so many jobs and apprenticeships to the city."

Premier Inn has also recently carried out a £1.8m extension at Premier Inn Newcraighall and a £1.2m refurbishment at its Edinburgh Central hotel on Lauriston Place in Tollcross.

The new hotels in Edinburgh take the chain's total number of premises in Scotland to 68.

Manuela Calchini, regional director at VisitScotland, said: "From the bustling splendour of the Royal Mile to the grace of the Georgian New Town, Edinburgh remains a must-see destination for visitors to Scotland and these new hotels will be an exciting and welcome addition to the city’s strong line-up of high quality accommodation providers."

Clive Wilding, project director for New Waverley said: "The opening of the two hotels at New Waverley marks an exciting turning point for the regeneration of this historic part of Edinburgh’s Old Town.

"It’s been a great working partnership with [Premier Inn owners] Whitbread, and together we are at last breathing new life into what has been a neglected part of Edinburgh’s historic city centre."