Whitbread begins construction of new Vauxhall Premier Inn
Whitbread PLC, the owner of Premier Inn, has appointed a main contractor for delivering a new Premier Inn hotel in Vauxhall, London.
The project will bring Phoenix House, a well-positioned 10-storey, 80,000 sq ft former office opposite Vauxhall Station, back into long-term use as a 180-bedroom Premier Inn and establish the brand in Vauxhall for the first time.
Legendre UK has been appointed by Whitbread to lead the project.
The conversion will utilise the building’s existing structure, replacing the former office floorplates with Premier Inn’s latest bedroom offer, including its popular Premier Plus rooms. Upgrades to the existing mezzanine will provide a new guest restaurant and reception area.
Phoenix House forms part of St George Wharf, a prominent mixed-use riverside development opposite Vauxhall Station and close to the River Thames. Whitbread’s development will bring long-term benefits to the immediate area through the creation of around 25 permanent hospitality jobs, as well as additional year-round spending by Premier Inn guests.
Constructed in the early 2000s, Phoenix House was acquired by Lambeth Council in 2004 and used as council offices until 2019, after which it remained largely vacant. In an innovative property deal, Whitbread agreed to lead the conversion of the building into a Premier Inn and lease the completed hotel for 30-years from Lambeth Council, who retain the longer-term head lease.
The company has a long track record of office-to-hotel conversions in London, dating back to the transformation of County Hall in the late 1990s. The Phoenix House project continues that approach, and the new hotel has been designed to high sustainability standards including the targeting of BREEAM Excellent certification.
Whitbread’s new Five-Year Plan identifies Central London as an important growth market for Premier Inn and its sister brand hub by Premier Inn. The business currently operates more than 100-hotels within the M25 and has identified 40 locations across the city where it wishes to grow.
The appointment at Phoenix House builds on Legendre UK’s growing portfolio delivering complex refurbishments and conversions across London. Earlier this year, Legendre UK and its joint venture partners secured planning consent to transform another underused office building, Grove House in Hammersmith, into a 171-room hotel. It is also developing the former Diageo headquarters in Park Royal, northwest London, into a 429-room hotel scheme.
Construction work to convert Phoenix House into a Premier Inn is due to begin later this year, with completion scheduled for the end of 2027.
Sam Murphy, Project and Programme Manager for Whitbread, said:
“Phoenix House is a fantastic opportunity to bring Premier Inn to the heart of Vauxhall for the first time. Working alongside Lambeth Council, we have moved quickly from securing the site and achieving planning consent to starting the transformation of the vacant office building into a modern, high-quality Premier Inn. The project demonstrates how former office buildings can be successfully repurposed into Premier Inn hotels and I’m looking forward to working with Legendre UK to deliver the next phase of the development and help bring another excellent Premier Inn location to Central London.”
Thomas Vandecasteele, Managing Director of Legendre UK, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Whitbread to give Phoenix House a new lease of life as a Premier Inn. This is an opportunity to bring a largely vacant building back into use, taking a sustainable approach by retaining and adapting as much of the existing structure as possible. The project also draws on our experience delivering complex refurbishment and conversion projects in London.
“This is our first project with Whitbread and an exciting first step in what we hope will be a successful long-term relationship. We look forward to working closely with the wider project team to deliver a high-quality hotel for Vauxhall.”
