Premier Inn, the budget hotel brand of UK-based Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, has opened its largest ever property at London Gatwick Airport.
Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport general manager Jon Walters said, "We are delighted to be opening our biggest Premier Inn hotel allowing people who are travelling to and from Gatwick Airport to have a great night’s sleep."
The latest opening will add the 50,000th room to the brand; the hotel is said to represent an investment of £60m in the local economy and has created 77 new jobs.
The 630-bedroom hotel is one of nine Premier Inn properties scheduled to be opened in Greater London by the end of 2013, as part of the group’s strategy to double the brand’s hotels in the city by 2016.
Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants managing director Patrick Dempsey said, "Our growth across Greater London is particularly exciting as it means we can offer even more people a great night’s sleep in the best locations and we look forward to opening many more over the next few years."
Premier Inn recently opened in Leicester Square in London.
In mid-November this year, construction began on the brand’s property at the New Road ground of Worcestershire County Cricket Club; the 120-room hotel, in which Whitbread will invest £7.5m, will open in late October next year.
During the same period, work also began on the conversion of the Exchange Buildings on Stephenson Place in Birmingham into a 140-room hotel to be opened in August 2013.
