Premier Inn says thank you in Berwick
The team behind the £5.5 million Premier Inn hotel in Berwick-upon-Tweed have said thank you to their new neighbours for their patience during the construction of the hotel.
Hosting a packed lunch in the hotel today [Friday 13th March] with residents, local business owners and Northumberland County Council Councillors, Whitbread passed on their gratitude to everyone for bearing with them during the build.
Richard Aldread, head of construction for Premier Inn in the UK regions and Ireland, said:
“My team and I are extremely grateful for the patience shown by residents and business owners as we cleared the site and built the new Premier Inn on Sandgate. It hasn’t been an easy hotel to construct but the finished building looks great and it is set to make a positive contribution to Berwick for years to come.”
Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, secured planning consent to redevelop the former Playhouse Cinema site on Sandgate into the new 60-bedroom Premier Inn in 2016.
Construction started in November 2018 and the hotel opened its doors to guests at the end of February 2020, creating 31 new full- and part-time jobs – with many of the new team members working part-time alongside other commitments.
Speaking at the neighbour event Councillor Richard Wearmouth, the portfolio holder for Economic Development at Northumberland County Council, said:
“It’s fantastic that this great addition to the town’s accommodation offer is now open for business. Berwick is becoming an increasing tourism destination, especially with the arrival of cruise ships later this year, and it’s vital the infrastructure is in place for visitors to come and stay in the town.
“New businesses always provide a great boost to the local economy and I am sure this Premier Inn will help attract more people to Berwick and the surrounding area.”
Premier Inn predicts more than 21,000 guests will stay at the new Berwick a year, adding an estimated £1 million of additional spending to the local economy every year as its guests go out to eat, drink and do activities locally.
The new hotel at Berwick-upon-Tweed is Premier Inn’s second hotel in Northumberland. The business is continuing to expand and recently secured planning permission for a new 83-bedroom Premier Inn on the Willowburn Trading Estate in Alnwick.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
- James Anderson, Property Communications Manager at Whitbread on 07850 944 798 / James.Anderson@whitbread.com
- Andrew Ward, Communications Business Partner, Northumberland County Council on 01670 622 412 / andrew.ward@northumberland.gov.uk
About Premier Inn
Premier Inn was named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for 2019 according to Which? With over 800 hotels and 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 2019 Premier Inn was also named the UK’s top-rated hotel chain for the fifth 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 the open plus committed pipeline now stands at 52 hotels – approximately 10,000 rooms in more than 20 cities. Around 20 Premier Inn hotels are expected to open in 2020.
