Premier Inn to double presence in Oxford this year
April opening for new Botley Premier Inn kicks off a significant year in the city for the UK’s largest hotel business
Whitbread, the owner of the Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotel brands, is set to double its presence in Oxford this calendar year as the business continues its strategic expansion in the city.
The UK’s largest hotel business is gearing up to open its new 123-bedroom Premier Inn hotel at Botley in April with the flagship 90-bedroom hotel opposite the Westgate Shopping Centre due to welcome guests in the summer.
Together, the two new hotels grow Premier Inn’s network to four locations across the city and will create approximately 50 new jobs on opening, with recruitment focused in the local area.
Alex Flach, Development Director at Whitbread, said:
“We have a busy few months ahead of us in Oxford as we complete our new hotels at Botley and Westgate and get them ready to welcome our guests. The openings are important milestones for the business as we strategically grow our network in popular and accessible locations across the city where we see strong, long-term demand for our bedrooms.
“While Covid-19 has impacted the hospitality industry in the short-term, there is no question in my mind that Oxford will rebound and will continue to be an important destination for leisure and business visitors for years to come. We’re very upbeat about the long-term prospects for our hotels in the city and we’re on the lookout for the next generation of locations for our customers, especially in the city centre and to the east of the city.”
On opening, the 123-bedroom Botley Premier Inn will be Whitbread’s first hotel to the west of the city. The eight-storey hotel, which features Premier Inn’s Thyme restaurant format, occupies a prominent position overlooking the A34 and West Way.
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.
David Banks from Botley Development Company, said:
“We are delighted to have worked in partnership with Whitbread on the forthcoming opening of the Premier Inn hotel, which will mark another milestone in the successful redevelopment of Botley Centre.”
Whitbread is continuing to grow its hotel brands in popular locations like Oxford and with further identified 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.
Recruitment for the hotel is due to commence in the next few weeks, with applications accepted via the Oxford branch of the Job Centre Plus and online at www.whitbreadcareers.com.
For more information, please contact:
-James Anderson, Property Communications Manager at Whitbread on 07850 944 798 / James.Anderson@whitbread.com
