It has certainly been a challenging year for the leisure and hospitality industry and, as I write from home during lockdown mark II, we continue to operate in complex circumstances.

But Whitbread’s long-term strategy remains the same. We are focused on growing our network, bringing new Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotels to locations across London where our guests want to be, and being a force for good in our communities.

London’s Southbank is a vibrant and busy hotel market with strong demand for bedrooms and where we don’t yet have a substantial presence.  When we were presented with the opportunity to bring a Premier Inn to the New Marlborough Yard development off The Cut in Southwark, we jumped at it.  We knew the location was perfect for our customers and matched our network strategy for the area.

Working with development partner Frogmore, we have created a development that’s much more than a new budget hotel.  With a new park, courtyard and outdoor seating area for our destination Bar + Block steakhouse restaurant, it’s a fantastic new public space for the local community to enjoy too.

The design was led very much by the local context. The hotel and restaurant building uses different tones of brickwork to reflect the Victorian warehouses that were once common around Waterloo, while the public realm is the focal point of the scheme, complementing The Cut’s liveliness with its peaceful setting.  Three means of access into the development invite the community in.  

As a business, we always try to focus the benefits of Premier Inn hotels locally.  Our principle contractor Gilbert Ash worked closely with the LB Southwark to advertise and fill construction apprenticeships during the build. As we near opening, our recruitment team will work proactively with the local Job Centre Plus and other employment agencies to encourage Southwark residents to join us. 

New Marlborough Yard (Premier Inn Southwark Station) hotel and vegetation