UK hotel group Whitbread has unveiled a new brand for Premier Inn featuring “compact” rooms in city centre properties.
Hub by Premier Inn will be opened in major cities such as London and Edinburgh with the first property due to open in Covent Garden, London, in summer 2014.
Whitbread said that a “hub” room would only offer 11.4 square metres of space with a desk which folds into a bed, luggage storage under the bed, en suite bathroom with power shower, free wifi and a 40-inch TV.
There will also be an app which guests can use to book and check in online, as well as pre-selecting room temperature and light settings. They will also be able to stream content from their mobile device to the room’s TV.
Patrick Dempsey, managing director of 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 for the new Hub by Premier Inn brand which will provide around 1,000 rooms over the next three years with the aim of having 40 hotels open or in the pipeline by 2018.
The St Martin’s Lane property will have 167 beds when it opens next year. It will be followed by hotels in London’s Goodge Street, Great Tower Street and Spitalfields in 2015, and a 408-bed property in Kings Cross in 2016.
premierinn.com