This strategic move is designed to strengthen Whitbread's construction and property acquisition divisions as the company looks to expand its UK network, with the aim of increasing the number of open and committed rooms from the current 91,000 to an impressive 125,000.
Two of the new recruits, Will Steward and Rowan Edwards, have joined Whitbread as Project and Construction Programme Managers. They will focus on the UK and Ireland regions, overseeing the delivery of Whitbread's pipeline of over 7,200 committed rooms.
In London, James Hall has taken on the role of Acquisition Development Director, focusing on the growth of Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn properties in the capital. London is a strategic growth market for Whitbread.
Quinten Barker, Whitbread's first ever property graduate apprentice, joined the team in September, having previously worked in the company's customer contact centre.
“Whitbread is uniquely placed to continue the rapid growth of Premier Inn in the UK and we need good, experienced people to help us deliver our expansion plans. The three senior hires we have made this autumn will help our established team build out and replenish our development pipeline, and we are investing in the future of the team with a new property apprenticeship role.
“I see huge potential for us over the next few years as Whitbread’s unique ownership model allows us to deliver our own secured pipeline and bring in new, exciting locations for our guests and I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to achieve these important objectives.” - Alex Flach, UK & Ireland development director for Whitbread
Whitbread currently has almost 84,000 hotel rooms across 849 sites in the UK. During the first half of the 2024 financial year, the company added 430 new Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn rooms to its ever-expanding portfolio.
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