Whitbread PLC, Dunstable, United Kingdom, has launched a new hotel concept, Hub by Premier Inn, which it bills as “a new generation of compact, city center hotel.”
The first Hub by Premier Inn is scheduled to open on St. Martin’s Lane in London next summer, with four additional London locations slated to debut in 2015 and 2016. Whitbread hopes to have around 40 Hub by Premier Inn hotels (6,000 rooms) opened or in the pipeline by 2018.
Hub rooms will be small — 123 sq ft (11.4 sq m) — but promise contemporary design and excellent connectivity. They will include a desk that folds into a Hypnos pocket-sprung bed, luggage storage under the bed, an en suite bathroom with power shower, free Wi-Fi and a 40-in (102-cm) smart screen TV.
Hub also will offer its own app allowing customers to book and check in online, pre-select their room temperature and light settings, choose the TV or radio channel they want playing in their room when they arrive and stream content from their phone or tablet directly to their TV.
Hub will have its own deli-style restaurant as well, with plans to source produce from local suppliers. Guests will be able to pre-order breakfast using the Hub app.
Whitbread said Hub will have 25% lower build and operating costs compared to a Central London Premier Inn, and its smaller room format gives the brand access to a broader range of buildings in city centers. Average room rate for Hub in central London is expected to be below £100 (US$152).
“Premier Inn has played a leading role in shaping the budget hotel market, and we believe Hub will do the same for a new generation of compact city center hotels,” said Patrick Dempsey, managing director, Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants. “Hub will work in tandem with Premier Inn, appealing to more price-sensitive customers seeking quality accommodation in the heart of a city. It will enable us to broaden our customer appeal and further strengthen our competitive edge.”