DWF has advised Whitbread plc, the multinational hotel and restaurant group, on the acquisition of all nine sites for its 'hub by Premier Inn' hotel brand. The sites include seven in London – St. Martin's Lane, Kings Cross, Spitalfields, Goodge Street, Great Tower Street, Shoreditch and St Swithins Lane – and two in Edinburgh, Caltongate and Rose Street.
hub by Premier Inn is a compact city centre hotel with contemporary room designs and good connectivity that will aim to offer value for money and appeal to customers who value price, location and design over space. The new brand targets London and major gateway UK cities, with the first hub by Premier Inn hotel to open on St. Martin's Lane in London in autumn 2014.
DWF has also advised Whitbread during the past year as it acquired 5000 more bedrooms in 50 hotel locations into its future development pipeline. Advising on over two thirds of the deals DWF acted on all transactions throughout London, the Midlands, the North of England, North Wales and Scotland; supporting the group's ambitious growth targets of increasing the number of Premier Inn UK rooms to around 75,000 by 2018.
Leading the deals for DWF, Paul Inman, head of the hospitality sector, commented: "We have worked with Whitbread for many years and have helped them to grow Premier Inn to its prominent position as the UK's largest hotel brand. We're pleased to have been able to continue to support the group throughout its current expansion drive, particularly as the addition of 5,000 new rooms mean this is one of the best years yet since the business began focusing on the growth of its hotel portfolio."
Mark Anderson, MD for Commercial and Property, Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants, added: "It has been a very strong year for Whitbread as we continue to invest in and expand the Premier Inn portfolio, enabling the company to maintain market share and our position as the UK's leading hotel chain. We have been well supported by the team at DWF, who consistently provide valuable strategic advice, ensuring that all deals are completed quickly and efficiently."
The national Whitbread team at DWF consists of real estate partners Paul Inman, David Frankland, Naveen Gupta, Iain McHardy and Graeme Kelly, and senior associate Philip Moran.
