Premier Inn reports 'good demand' in regional tourist destinations

Premier Inn has said it is seeing "good demand" in regional tourist destinations as it plans to have its entire UK estate open by the end of July.

More than 270 UK hotels and 24 restaurants have already opened their doors to guests, building on the 39 that remained open for key workers throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.

Chief executive Alison Brittain said: "It is still very early days and therefore too early to draw any conclusions from our booking trajectory, especially as there has been volatility in hotel performance in other countries that relaxed controls before the UK. However, in traditional regional tourist destinations, we are seeing good demand for the summer months, whilst the rest of the regions and metropolitan areas, including London, remain subdued.

"Throughout the crisis we operated 39 UK hotels to provide accommodation for NHS staff and other key workers. This experience of successfully and safely operating hotels in a socially distanced environment provided key learnings and will enable us to deliver the highest standards to our customers as we reopen the rest of the estate. Enhanced social distancing and hygiene standards can be delivered consistently across our entire estate and this, together with more flexible booking options, our value pricing and our superior network will ensure that our leading customer proposition is maintained."

The lockdown from the end of March has seen first quarter sales for the group (including international) plummet 79.4% year-on-year.

Last month owner Whitbread successfully completed a £1b rights issue to ensure it emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic "with a strong balance sheet and in the best position possible".

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