Whitbread Adds 1,000 New Rooms to Premier Inn Network Since March 2024

Whitbread PLC, owner of Premier Inn – the UK’s largest hotel brand, has added over 1,000 new rooms to its UK network since the start of its financial year in March 2024. The recent opening of the 137-room Premier Inn at London Waterloo (North Lambeth) brought the company past the 1,000-room milestone.

Seven new Premier Inn hotels have been opened in the past eleven months, including locations in Central London, Cambridge, Bristol, York, and Torquay. This expansion aligns with Whitbread’s strategy to grow its portfolio in sought-after UK destinations.

The company offers UK customers over 85,500 hotel rooms and sees potential for 125,000 rooms in the UK and Ireland. This expansion is possible due to favorable market conditions and the decline of independent hotels and guest houses.

Alex Flach, UK & Ireland Development Director, noted that the new hotels reflect Whitbread’s commitment to expanding in high-demand locations across the UK and Ireland. Three of the hotels were created by converting vacant office spaces, a process that reduces carbon dioxide emissions during construction.

The new hotels opened include a 120-room hotel in Torquay Harbour, a 188-room hotel in York (Layerthorpe), a 103-room hotel in Bristol Parkway (M32), a 369-room hotel near Paddington Station, a 120-room hotel in Cambridge City Centre (Lion Yard), and a 137-room hotel in Lambeth North, London.

Whitbread has identified several locations in the UK and Ireland where it plans to increase Premier Inn’s presence. These include 40 locations within the M25 and thirteen locations in Ireland.

Outside the UK, Whitbread is expanding in Germany, where it operates over 10,000 Premier Inn rooms and aims to become the country’s top hotel operator.