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Guests staying at UK-based Premier Inn hotels have benefited local communities, having spent an average of £143 per bedroom per night, half of which being spent locally within two miles of their chosen hotel, according to a study commissioned by Whitbread.
This spending has added up to an average external economic contribution of more than £4m per year for each of Premier Inn’s 853 hotels when multiplied by the number of guest stays across the UK estate.
Whitbread commissioned research firms IPSOS and Turley Economics to undertake the study as part of its sustainability programme, Force For Good.
Responses from customers staying with the brand for leisure and business were both sought, with 93% of responses coming from guests staying 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.
Meanwhile, 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 for UK&I at 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 grow 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.”
He added: “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.”
