Premier Inn will double its presence in Oxford this year, with two new hotels under development.
Premier Inn’s owner Whitbread will first open a 123-room Premier Inn hotel to the west of the city at Botley in April, followed by the summer opening of the 90-room Oxford Greyfriars Premier Inn located opposite the city’s Westgate Shopping Centre.
Botley Premier Inn will be developed by The Botley Development Company as part of its mixed-use West Way Square project, and will occupy eight storeys and feature Premier Inn’s Thyme restaurant.
The chain already operates a hotel at Oxford Business Park, and also recently opened a 101-room property next to London Oxford airport. The new hotels promise to create approximately 50 local jobs on opening.
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.”
David Banks from Botley Development Company, added:
“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.”
Last month Whitbread outlined plans to open four Scottish properties in the coming months, ahead of what it hopes will be “a successful summer of staycations”. The group also opened its third Isle of Wight property at the end of last month.
