Premier Inn checks in with new airport hotels

Whitbread is expanding the concept of budget airline travel with its announcement of four new Premier Inns at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stanstead.

Whitbread PLC, which owns Premier Inn, has entered into an agreement with the Arora Family Trust to lease hotels which will add 1,570 rooms to the Premier Inn tally and represent a £125million investment for Whitbread. The largest of the new airport based Premier Inns will be at the North Terminal, Gatwick. Whitbread is describing it as “the first airport terminal-based budget hotel in the UK”. Premier Inn already has experience of running hotels close to airports. It’s portfolio of Premier Inns which are well suited for air travel ranges from Aberdeen to Southampton.

Two of the new Premier Inns will be at Heathrow – both Terminals 4 and 5. Whitbread quotes figures from BAA that UK air travel is expected to reach 465 million in 2030. It also quotes a TRI projection that Heathrow will be handling in excess of 81 million passengers in 6-7 years time.

The issue of more and more aeroplanes taking off is already a much debated topic in the context of the UK’s commitments on climate change and carbon emissions. The Conservative Party has expressed opposition to the third runway at Heathrow. The new Premier Inns will be opening on a phased basis from autumn 2011, after they have attained planning permission.

For its part, the Arora Hotels is “the UK's leading specialist hotelier to the airline industry”. The Arora Family Trust owns a portfolio of 16 hotels with over 6,000 bedrooms located in airports both in the south east of England as well as Glasgow and Manchester.

16 September 2009