Bit of isle-right
Premier Inn reveals the rise of the ‘middi-break’
Premier Inn today reveals the latest travel trend – the rise of the ‘middi-break’.
The UK’s biggest hotel company reports that increasing numbers of Brits are choosing to holiday outside the mainland – but stopping short of long-haul or European breaks – instead opting for an island getaway.
People choosing a middi-break in locations including the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight and the Scottish islands are quite literally enjoying a happy medium – mid-way between a staycation close to home and holidaying abroad.
In response to rising demand for middi-breaks, Premier Inn is building a network of over 750 bedrooms in island locations and today announces plans for new island hotels in Jersey and Shetland.
Subject to planning permission, a 122-bed hotel in St Helier is set to become Premier Inn’s second hotel in Jersey, while a 100-bed hotel planned for Lerwick in Shetland will become will be Premier Inn’s most northerly site.
In addition, Premier Inn also has a newly-opened 85-bed hotel in the Isle of Man, a site under construction in the Isle of Wight – its third on the island – and has secured its first hotel Guernsey at St Peter’s Port. Discussions are already underway to bring Premier Inn to more island locations.
Collectively island sites represent a £60 million pound investment and are set to create more than 200 year-round jobs.
BIT OF ISLE-RIGHT – Premier Inn’s island presence
Premier Inn has a network of over 750 island bedrooms, all of which are either open, under construction or in its secured pipeline.
- Jersey St Helier (Charing Cross – open
- Douglas, Isle of Man – open
- Newport, Isle of Wight – open
- Sandown, Isle of Wight – open
- Sandown, Isle of Wight – under construction
- Guernsey St Peter’s Port – leasehold secured
- Jersey St Helier (Bath Street) – planning application submitted
- Lerwick, Shetland – planning application secured
Managing Director Simon Ewins said: “Over the past few years it has become increasingly popular for British people to enjoy spending some or all of their holidays close to home that the rise of the staycation has been unstoppable. Alongside this, we’re seeing something really interesting – an ever-increasing appetite to visit our beautiful islands, fuelled in part no-doubt by the increased provision of affordable transport links, including cheap flights. There is an unbeatable romance to an island break and we’re really pleased to make it easier than ever for people to enjoy their spectacular beauty through the increased provision of great quality hotels at attractive prices”.
He added: “This trend shows no sign of slowing down and we’re really excited to welcome thousands of guests to our island hotels this summer”.
ISLE LOVE IT – five things you can enjoy on our islands
– See a vintage Royal loo at Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s palatial holiday home on the Isle of Wight
– Go twitching in Shetland, which is famous for its glorious bird colonies, and home to tens of thousands of puffins, razorbills, gannets and guillemots
– Get spooked by tales of the Moddey Dhoo – a mythical black dog that reputedly haunts the magnificent ruins of the Isle of Man’s Peel Castle
– Indulge in a cream team with scones smothered in homemade jam and cream made from the milk of Jersey’s most famous four-legged residents
– Visit the world’s smallest chapel in Guernsey. It’s called The Little Chapel, appropriately enough
Notes to editors
- Whitbread currently operates two Premier Inn hotels on the Isle of Wight at Sandown (Merrie Gardens) and Newport (148 rooms in total).
- Premier Inn Douglas, Isle of Man, was opened by Minister Laurence Skelly MHK, Minister for the Department for Enterprise, at the Isle of Man Government on Thursday 27th July.
- In Shetland, a planning application has been submitted to redevelop the site of Brevik House in Lerwick into a 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel. The development site benefits from outline planning consent and detailed plsnning permission is being sought for the proposed Premier Inn.
- Construction of the 100-bedroom Premier Inn in St Peter’s Port, Guernsey, is due to commence in autumn 2019 with a targeted opening date of the end of 2021.
- Latest figures from tourism agencies for the UK islands show a consistent growth in tourism numbers. Visit Guernsey reported that overnight leisure visits to the island were up by 22% in the first quarter of 2019 whilst in Jersey, more than 410,000 overnight trips were made to the island in 2018 – the highest number since 2001 – with more than half of the holiday visitors being first time visitors to the island. Data from the Isle of Man and the Isle of White also show a growth in visitor numbers and spending in 2018, with total visitor spending on the islands increasing by 7% and 9% respectively.
About Premier Inn
Premier Inn was named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for 2018 according to Which? With 800 hotels and more than 76,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland, Premier Inn guests are never far from a great night’s sleep at fantastic value rates. Premier Inn hotels are in more locations than any other UK hotel brand for the ease and convenience of leisure and business travellers alike.
All Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, a luxurious Hypnos® bed, a choice of pillows, TV with Freeview and free Wi-Fi. A bar and restaurant is situated either on-site or next door to each hotel, offering a wide range of food and drink including a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast.
Across the estate, the average Trip Advisor score for Premier Inn hotels is 4.2. Premier Inn has been awarded the Best UK Family Hotel in the TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards, Best UK Hotel Group in the Silver Travel Awards and the Business In The Community Environmental Leadership Award. In 2018 Premier Inn was also named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for the fourth year in a row by Which?
Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity is the National Charity partner of Premier Inn and to date team members, guests and suppliers have reached the milestone of £10 million, which formed part of the funding towards the Premier Inn Clinical Building, officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in January 2018.
Outside of the UK, Premier Inn’s expansion plans are focused on Germany. Premier Inn opened its first hotel in Frankfurt in 2016 and has more than 6,000 Premier Inn bedrooms in its secured pipeline in Germany.
