Whitbread to Launch Innovative New Hotel Concept - hub by Premier Inn

Whitbread, one of the UK’s largest hotel groups, has launched a new hotel concept - hub by Premier Inn.

The new hotels will target major UK city centres such as London and Edinburgh, with the first hub by Premier Inn scheduled to open on St. Martin’s Lane in London in summer 2014.

At 11.4 sqm a hub room is compact, and thanks to its innovative design every centimetre has been optimised with a desk that folds into the Hypnos pocket-sprung bed, luggage storage under the bed, an en suite bathroom with power shower, free WiFi and a 40” inch smart screen TV.

hub by Premier Inn will also have its own innovative mobile app, letting customers fully control their hotel experience. The hub app will allow customers to book and check in online, as well as pre-select their room temperature and light settings. They can even choose which TV or radio channel they want playing in their room when they arrive and stream content from their phone or tablet direct to their TV.

When it comes to drinking and dining, hub by Premier Inn will have its own deli-style restaurant. Guests will also be able to pre-order breakfast using the hub app.

Patrick Dempsey, Managing Director, Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, 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.”

Whitbread has secured five sites (around 1,000 rooms) to open in the next three years and is targeting to have around 40 hub by Premier Inn hotels (6,000 rooms) opened or in the pipeline by 2018.

Whitbread says that hub by Premier Inn will have 25% lower build and operating costs compared to a Central London Premier Inn, and its smaller room format gives access to a broader range of buildings in city centres.

Over two years in the making, hub has been shaped by customers. Since June 2012, five prototype rooms have been on sale every night at the Premier Inn Kings Cross and during that time 1,825 guests have given individual feedback on everything from having two showerheads, (one on the wall so customers can avoid getting their hair wet) to the high absorbency, fast-drying micro fibre towels meaning no more soaking wet towels hanging around the bathroom for hours. The result has been seven iterations of the hub experience to ensure it reflects key customer needs.

hub by Premier Inn Committed Pipeline

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

See also: Premier Inn Prepares to Target Asia Pacific; Establishes Hub and Whitbread Raises £1 Million for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.