First Premier Travel Inn hotels open for business

The first of Whitbread's Premier Travel Inn budget hotels have opened just six weeks after the company's £536m acquisition of the Premier Lodge chain.

The new brand brings together Whitbread's own Travel Inn budget chain with the newly acquired rival group.

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Installing the new signs at Kew

New signs went up today at the former Premier Lodge hotels in Kew and Edgware and at former Travel Inn locations in Beckton, Ilford, Greenford, and Croydon (East). Two more will open tomorrow in Croydon (West) and Barking. Both of these were former Premier Lodge properties. The company aims to complete the rebranding exercise by February next year, creating a single chain with more than 450 hotels and 27,500 bedrooms. This will make it the largest hotel chain in the UK. As well as redrawn signage, the former Premier Lodge properties will get new computerised booking systems. Room rates start from £45.95 a night, although the at chain's 124 city-centre "Metro" hotels, rates start at £48.95.