Premier Inn has announced plans to open a 157 bedroom ‘hub by Premier Inn’ hotel on Rose Street, in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town in late 2015. This will be the second planned hub hotel for Edinburgh, following the announcement in December to open a 131 bedroom hotel in the city’s historic Old Town in the former Caltongate area.
New generation of compact, city centre hotels utilising digital connectivity
‘hub by Premier Inn’ is a new generation of compact, city centre hotels where style and comfort are twinned with innovative digital connectivity. Modern, contemporary rooms are meticulously designed to utilise every space, whilst creating a calm haven at the heart of the bustling city.
Guests can book, check-in online and personalise their room before arrival via the ‘hub app’, leaving them free to relax and unwind. ‘hub by Premier Inn’ is the smart choice for travellers looking for great value, stylish design and a central location.
Edinburgh – perfect location for ‘hub’
Patrick Dempsey, Managing Director, Whitbread Hotels and Restaurants commented: “As a city, Edinburgh ticks all the boxes as a perfect location for our ‘hub’ brand. It’s a popular tourist and business destination with strong demand for good value, quality hotels. We believe ‘hub’ will prove to be a tremendous success, appealing to more price sensitive customers seeking quality accommodation in the centre of the city.”
The latest Edinburgh ‘hub by Premier Inn’ is a leasehold site and is being developed by Old Mutual Property Fund, managed by CBRE Global Investors. The smaller room format gives access to a broader range of buildings in city centres and will have 25% lower build and operating costs compared to a Central Edinburgh Premier Inn.
About ‘hub by Premier Inn’
At 11.4 sq.m. a ‘hub’ room is compactand, thanks to its innovative design, every centimetre is optimised with a desk that slides into the wall, luggage storage under the Hypnos pocket sprung bed, an en-suite bathroom with power shower, free Wi-Fi and a 40” inch smart screen TV.
‘hub by Premier Inn’ will be the UK’s first hotel with its own app that lets customers control their hotel experience. The ‘hub’ app means customers can book and check in online, as well as pre-select their room temperature and light settings. They can even choose which TV or radio channel they want playing in their room when they arrive and stream content from their smart phone or tablet direct to their TV.
Hub deli-bar
When it comes to food and drink, ‘hub’ will have its own deli-bar, for local customers as well as hotel guests. A contemporary twist on hotel dining, ‘hub deli-bar’ plans to offer a variety of dishes, from tasty ‘hot hub pots’ to unique superfood salads. All options are packed with fresh ingredients and exciting flavours which can be eaten in or easily taken away for those on the move.
Guest testing and feeedback
Over three years in the making, ‘hub’ has been shaped by customers. Since June 2012, five prototype rooms have been on sale every night at Premier Inn London King’s Cross, and during that time 1,825 guests have given individual feedback on the product and their overall experience. The result has been seven iterations of ‘hub’ to ensure it reflects all key customer needs.
‘hub by Premier Inn’ committed pipeline
London, St Martin’s Lane – 167 beds, Autumn 2014
London, Goodge Street – 179 beds, early 2015
London, Great Tower St – 119 beds, early 2015
London, Spitalfields – 185 beds, late 2016
Edinburgh Rose Street – 157 beds, late 2015
Edinburgh Caltongate – 131 beds, late 2015
London, Kings Cross – 408 beds, early 2016