Construction begins on one of London’s largest budget hotels
Whitbread PLC, the UK’s largest hotel business and owner of Premier Inn, has started construction enabling works on its flagship hub by Premier Inn hotel development at 5 Strand, a prime site just off Trafalgar Square in Central London.
The 693-bedroom hotel, which will be one of the largest budget hotels in London when it opens, is on a highly prominent and complex site metres from Charing Cross station and Nelson’s Column.
Whitbread acquired the development site in August 2022 as part of its strategy to grow its presence in the popular London market. The £200m development, including land and construction costs, will comprise a 13-storey, 16,000 sq metre budget hotel, which is targeted to open in autumn 2028.
John F Hunt Ltd. has been appointed for the construction enabling works which is now underway and expected to complete early next year.
These works involve demolishing the remaining sections of the former office which once occupied the site, rebuilding to ground level, and constructing the hotel’s 14-storey core using slipform concrete construction.
Whitbread is aiming to place the main construction contract this summer.
Hester King, Project and Programme Manager for Whitbread, said:
“Breaking ground at 5 Strand is a major milestone for Whitbread and a defining moment in the evolution of our hub by Premier Inn brand, which began its journey a decade ago at St Martins Lane in Covent Garden.
“This flagship development – just metres from Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Station – demonstrates our ability to secure, design, and deliver high-quality hotels in London’s most complex and sought-after locations. It reflects the breadth of our in-house expertise and Whitbread’s long-term commitment to growing its affordable hotel brands in the capital where branded budget hotels are in short supply.
“Personally, leading the construction of such a prominent project is a career highlight and I’m very proud to be part of a team delivering a standout addition to our London network.”
Whitbread secured planning permission for the development from Westminster City Council in October 2024. On opening the company expects around 150 team will work at the hotel, with recruitment focused within the City of Westminster and adjacent inner London boroughs.
In line with the company’s sustainability programme, Force for Good, the hub by Premier Inn at 5 Strand is being designed to run solely on electricity generated from renewable sources. Whitbread is targeting to reduce the carbon emissions from its direct operations (Scope 1 and 2 emissions) to zero by 2040.
hub by Premier Inn hotels offer compact hotel bedrooms – approximately half the size of a ‘standard’ Premier Inn room – with a contemporary design style, a focus on technology and a relaxed ‘Lounge’ style food and beverage offering.
Whitbread currently operates nine Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotels in the borough of Westminster and the company is a long-standing signatory of Westminster City Council’s Sustainable City Charter initiative.
