Whitbread publishes economic and social impact study of Premier Inn hotels
Guests staying at Premier Inn hotels can rest easy in the knowledge their stay is benefitting local communities following the publication of the company’s 2024 economic benefit and social impact report.
The company calculates its guests spend an average of £143 per bedroom per night within their host community during their stay, half of which (£71 room/night) is spent locally within two miles of their chosen hotel.
This spending adds up to an average external economic contribution of more than £4 million per year for each of Premier Inn’s 853 hotels when multiplied by the number of guest stays across its UK estate.
Whitbread PLC, the parent company to Premier Inn, commissioned research firms IPSOS and Turley Economics to undertake the study as part of the company’s sustainability programme, Force For Good.
The researchers targeted Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn customers staying in six categories of locations across the UK and Ireland in September and October 2023. More than 360 hotel locations were included in the sample with the research team collating 27,600 responses during the study period.
Responses from customers staying with the brand for leisure and business were both sought, with most of the feedback (93% of responses) coming from guests staying at Premier Inn for leisure purposes.
The large sample enabled the research team to build a detailed understanding of the average external spend by Premier Inn customers during their stay, as well as how the patterns of spending by its guests varies across different types of location.
Based on the research sample, Premier Inn’s customers staying in its City Centre, Inner London and Central London hotels spend the most money during their stay as they take advantage of the proximity to eating, drinking and entertainment opportunities offered by these locations.
Incremental spending at Premier Inn hotels located within coastal and adventure locations was generally less than in London, reflecting the greater number of entertainment and shopping opportunities available in the capital.
Spending on non-food shopping, food and drink and evening entertainment were the most popular categories of spending by Premier Inn’s guests nationwide, followed by daytime entertainment.
Alex Flach, Development Director – UK and Ireland for Whitbread, said:
“This report demonstrates the positive economic impact of Premier Inn hotels to communities across the UK. It shows how our style of budget hotel accommodation helps other businesses to thrive as our guests go out to make the most of the locations in which they are staying.
“It also demonstrates the power of the Premier Inn brand to growing visitor economies as more than a quarter of the 27,000 respondents we surveyed said they would not have visited their chosen location had a Premier Inn hotel not been there.
“Together, the report makes a compelling case of the long-term benefit of Premier Inn hotels to communities across the UK, which is important as we continue to grow and expand our network across the country.”
Whitbread currently offers its guests a choice of more than 85,000 bedrooms across 853 locations in the UK and Ireland – equivalent to 12% of the UK’s total bedroom stock – and is continuing to expand towards its long-term growth potential of 125,000 UK and Ireland bedrooms.
Across its UK estate, the company employs more than 37,000 people offering training and progression to its teams through in-house training and industry recognised apprenticeship programmes. Currently more than 1,500 Premier Inn team members are undertaking an apprenticeship with the business.
The complete Economic and Social Impact of Premier Inn hotels report is available below. The 2024 study follows two previous reports undertaken by Whitbread on the same subject in 2021 and 2023.
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