Premier Inn springs to life at Botley
UK’s largest hotel business gets set for a busy summer with the first of two new Oxford hotels opening its doors
Whitbread, the owner of the Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotel brands, has opened the doors to its latest addition to Oxford – a new 123-bedroom Premier Inn at Botley.
The hotel, which welcomed its first guests on Friday (16th April), is the one of two major investments by Whitbread in Oxford this year as the UK’s largest hotel business continues with its strategic expansion in the city.
Premier Inn Botley is the first Premier Inn hotel to the west of the city. The eight-storey hotel, which features Premier Inn’s latest format bedrooms and Thyme restaurant on the first floor, occupies a prominent position overlooking the A34 and West Way.
A team of 30 team members, led by a new hotel manager who opened Premier Inn’s hotel at Oxford Airport (Kidlington) in March 2020, welcomed guests travelling for work and other reasons that meet government criteria until 17th May.
Caroline Burt, Estate Development Project Manager at Premier Inn, who is leading the opening of the Botley hotel said:
“It’s always a delight to welcome the first guests through the doors of our new hotels. The new Oxford Botley hotel looks fantastic, the team are raring to go, and we are all set to provide the excellent standards and service Premier Inn is known for.
“We talk a lot about ‘strategic’ growth in the business. It’s our approach to investing in locations we are expect strong long-term demand from our guests for our affordable hotel rooms. Oxford is one of our strategic growth markets and an exciting city for us with our first opening in Botley this week and a new 90-bedroom flagship Premier Inn at Westgate to follow this summer.”
“While Covid-19 has impacted the hospitality industry in the short-term, there is no question in our mind that Oxford will rebound and will continue to be an important destination for leisure and business visitors for years to come.”
The Botley Development Company, a joint venture between Mace Developments and Doric Properties, delivered the new hotel for Whitbread as part of its mixed-use West Way Square development
In Oxford city centre, Premier Inn is delivering its first hotel opposite the Westgate shopping centre at Paradise Square. The 90-bedroom part-six, part-five and part-three storey hotel will be the first Premier Inn in Oxford City Centre and will feature 17 of Premier Inn’s enhanced Premier Plus rooms.
Whitbread is continuing to grow its hotel brands in popular locations like Oxford with further requirements for Premier Inn in Oxford City Centre and to the east of the city. A full list of target locations is available on the property pages of the Whitbread website. The best available rates for Premier Inn Botley are available at www.premierinn.com. Rooms at the Oxford Botley Premier Inn are currently being advertised from £35 per night for guests travelling for legally permitted reasons.
