From Vacant Office to Premier Inn: Whitbread Fast-Tracks Phoenix House Conversion in Vauxhall
Construction work has begun to convert Phoenix House in Vauxhall, London into a 180-bedroom Premier Inn hotel – just eight months after the parent company to the UK’s largest hotel business agreed terms on a lease for the site.
The high-profile location opposite Vauxhall Underground Station was acquired by Whitbread plc, which owns Premier Inn, as part of its London expansion program.
In an innovative arrangement, Whitbread agreed to lease the 10-storey 7,469 sqm former office building from Lambeth Council, the virtual freeholder, and lead the conversion of the space into a latest format Premier Inn.
The 30-year agreement between Whitbread and the Council was signed in March 2025 and planning permission for the conversion was secured 20 weeks later in July 2025.
Now, just eight months on from signing the contract, Whitbread has full control of the building and has started strip-out works today [17th November] – with the target to open the new hotel in early 2028.
Jonathan Langdon, Senior Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said:
“As an operating hotel business our goal is to open our pipeline development sites as quickly as possible for our customers. Thanks to a successful partnership with Lambeth Council, we have been able to acquire a fantastic hotel location, secure planning, and move into construction in just eight months, showing what’s possible when everyone comes together.
“We have been looking for a suitable location for Premier Inn in Vauxhall for at least ten years. In a little over two years’ time, we will be welcoming customers to a sensational hotel location, literally opposite Vauxhall Underground Station, and delivering the new location in a very sustainable way through the conversion of a former vacant office building. There are enormous benefits to expanding our footprint in this way, and we are actively looking for similar opportunities across the capital as we continue to grow.”
Phoenix House was formerly occupied by Lambeth Council before being vacated as part of its award-winning Your New Town Hall scheme. This wide-ranging project involved reducing Lambeth Council’s core office buildings from 14 to two, with further community benefits including 219 new homes for rent and sale.
Whitbread intends to bring its award-winning hotel proposition to the building, including its popular enhanced Premier Plus rooms and an ancillary guest-focused restaurant on the first floor.
Around 25 permanent hospitality jobs will be created on opening, with recruitment expected to begin in autumn 2027.
Berkshire based Redhammer Demolition Limited has been appointed to begin the strip-out conversion works which are due to complete by Easter 2026. Whitbread is currently in discussions with several contractors for the fit-out work.
The redevelopment of Phoenix House forms part of a city-wide expansion plan for Whitbread as it works to address an undersupply of affordable hotels in the capital. It currently operates more than 100 Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn hotels within the M25 – including five Premier Inn’s within the borough of Lambeth, the newest of which opened at Lambeth Road in January 2025.
