Whitbread Acquires Central London Site for New Hotel Development

Whitbread has acquired Victory House in Central London to convert it into a 200-room hub by Premier Inn hotel.

Whitbread has purchased Victory House, a freehold office building located at 30-34 Kingsway, WC2, in Central London. The acquisition was made from a private overseas investor for an undisclosed sum. The company plans to convert the 45,000-square-foot 1920s office building into a Premier Inn hotel hub with approximately 200 rooms, pending planning approval.

The building is currently occupied and is expected to be vacated by April 2026. Whitbread intends to retain the building’s existing stone façade while introducing its compact hotel rooms within the current floorplates. The location provides proximity to Covent Garden, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, the London School of Economics campus, and London’s Theatre District.

This acquisition is part of Whitbread’s strategy to expand its budget hotel network in London. It marks the fourth major investment by the company in Central London in 2025, bringing total investments to over £100 million. These acquisitions are expected to add nearly 1,000 rooms to Whitbread’s development pipeline in the city.

The company plans to begin discussions with Camden Council regarding the building’s conversion in early 2026. The new hotel is projected to open in 2028. The development aligns with Whitbread’s sustainability goals, as the hotel will be all-electric and powered by renewable energy, incorporating heat recovery systems and air-source heat pumps.

Ingleby Trice advised Whitbread on the transaction, while the vendor received advice from JLL and Savills. The acquisition of Victory House complements Whitbread’s existing properties in the area, including the St Martins Lane hub by Premier Inn, and supports its network plan for the Covent Garden and Holborn areas.