Sales fly for Premier Inn-owner Whitbread: Post-pandemic demand soars as tourists return
The owner of hotel brand Premier Inn had soaring demand in the first quarter of 2021 indicating a resurgent tourism market in the UK and Germany post-pandemic restrictions.
The historic 280-year-old company Whitbread registered a 235 per cent increase in accommodation sales from the last fiscal year.
The Houghton Regis-based company, which also has interest in the food and drinks market, had a 585 per cent increase in food and beverage sales.
In the year ahead, the Premier Inn owner said it would be investing between £20m-£30m in the business, including in the workforce, refurbishments and IT.
It said a particular area of success was the German hotel market with Premier Inn occupancy levels at 64 per cent in the last month of the quarter. Whitbread also had more than 900 per cent increase in sales growth for accommodation, and above 850 per cent increase in food and beverages in the country.
“In Germany, our open hotel estate now stands at 40 hotels, with a further 38 hotels in the pipeline”, ceo Alison Brittain.
“The trading performance of our more mature hotels in the two months post the lifting of COVID restrictions only reinforces our positive view of the significant opportunity in Germany.
“This impressive Q1 performance together with improved visibility into Q2, gives us increased confidence in delivering a strong first half and remaining ahead of the market for the rest of the year.”