Whitbread launches compact city centre hotel concept
Whitbread has launched a new city centre budget hotel concept, "hub by Premier Inn".
Designed for city centres such as London and Edinburgh, the hotels will feature innovative room design to offer value for money while making use of limited space.
Each 11.4 sq m room will include a desk that folds into the bed, luggage storage under the bed, an en suite bathroom with power shower, free wifi and a 40″ inch TV.
The first hub by Premier Inn will open on St. Martin's Lane in London in summer 2014 with four more planned for London by 2016. Whitbread said it would target a further 40 such hotels by 2018.
The small room format of the hotels mean they can make use of a broader range of city centre buildings. They will have a 25% lower build and operating cost than a central London Premier Inn.
Guests will be able to book and check in online, as well as pre setting their room temperature via a bespoke app. Once in the room they will be able to stream content from their phone or tablet to the TV.
Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants managing director Patrick Dempsey said: "Premier Inn has played a leading role in shaping the budget hotel market and we believe ‘hub' will do the same for a new generation of compact city centre hotels. ‘hub' will work in tandem with Premier Inn, appealing to more price sensitive customers seeking quality accommodation in the heart of a city. It will enable us to broaden our customer appeal and further strengthen our competitive edge."
Andy Harrison, chief executive of Whitbread added: "hub by Premier Inn" will reinforce the achievement of our 75,000 UK rooms milestone by 2018 and provide us with another exciting new growth platform."
The five "hub by Premier Inn" hotels in the pipeline are:
St Martin's Lane - 167 beds, Autumn 2014
Goodge Street - 179 beds, early 2015
Great Tower St - 119 beds, early 2015
Spitalfields - 185 beds, early 2015
Kings Cross - 408 beds, early 2016
