Whitbread opens new hotel at London Paddington

Whitbread PLC has opened the doors to its newest Premier Inn in London at Paddington Station.

The hotel is a first for the capital as it brings together two of Whitbread’s budget hotel brands into one new building metres from the platforms of the Elizabeth Line and Paddington train station.

Featuring 369 Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn bedrooms, the hotel is one of the largest Premier Inn’s in London and completes Whitbread’s network plan for the Paddington catchment where it has invested in recent years.

Its guests can now choose from more than 1,000 Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn bedrooms across four hotels in the catchment which collectively employ more than 200 people.   

Jonathan Langdon, senior acquisition manager for Central London, said: “We saw the potential of the Paddington area to be transformed by the opening of the Elizabeth Line and the wider investment that was happening in this area. We seized on the opportunity to expand our network in the catchment and since spring 2022 we have opened more than 1,000 new guest bedrooms across four new large and easily accessible hotels.

“Our latest opening at Paddington Station is one of the most connected hotels in the country, being less than one hundred metres from Paddington Station and the Elizabeth Line, and by bringing two of our market leading hotel brands together into one building we have demonstrated once again how flexible we can be for the right location.”

The team behind the new Premier Inn redeveloped the site from an outdated office building to deliver the new hotel, stripping the office back to its frame within which the new hotel was created.  

Set over five storeys, the hotel offers latest format Premier Inn bedrooms above the ground floor reception and restaurant spaces. Compact hubs by Premier Inn bedrooms are located at level -1 where lighting technology is installed to mimic the effect of natural daylight in the bedrooms. 

Whitbread has recruited 80 new team members to welcome guests to the Paddington Station hotel using its established relationships with the JobCentre Plus to promote the opportunities to residents living within Westminster and other central London boroughs.

Ahead of opening the company also partnered with innovative community engagement platform ActionFunder to fundraise and offer volunteering time for local charities within a 1 ½ mile radius of the new hotel.

Mark Shearer, co-founder of ActionFunder, said: “We are delighted to be working with Whitbread on their latest, innovative hotel opening in Paddington, West London. The management team and employees have jumped at the opportunity to deliver hyper-local social impact through the ActionFunder platform. In fact, all the 80 employees were involved in a vote which saw projects selected for funding and volunteering. It’s a great example of a business bringing benefits to the local community. We wish the hotel all the best following its opening.”