Whitbread : PREMIER INN OFFICIALLY OPENS BRAND NEW HOTEL IN BUDE CREATING 28 JOBS

Today (Thursday 25th January 2018) sees the official opening of a brand new Premier Inn hotel in Bude - a move creating dozens of new year-round jobs

The development brings an investment to the area of over £5 million and has seen the creation of 28 new full and part-time jobs. Local people, community groups and MP Scott Mann were all on-hand to celebrate the opening, which is being hailed as a boon to local businesses.

The 67-bedroom Premier Inn is situated on the historic Strand, and is a perfect base to explore all that Bude and the surrounding area has to offer; enjoy the spectacular scenery, take a walk on the beach, enjoy a traditional Cornish cream tea and then head back to recharge with a great night's sleep. All bedrooms will showcase the company's latest high-spec, modern design with a 40' flat screen TV, a luxury king-size Hypnos® bed, a choice of pillows and free WiFi. With over 750 hotels nationwide, Premier Inn is the UK's largest hotel chain, at more locations than any other hotel chain in the UK, with saver rate rooms in Bude starting from £31.50* for a family room for four.

The integrated Kitchen restaurant also serves the famous Premier Inn unlimited breakfast for £8.99 for a choice of cooked and continental options or £6.99 for continental breakfast only. Kids can eat either breakfast option for free**. Breakfast is open to everyone so why not pop in and tuck in! The restaurant is also a perfect place to catch up for a coffee or have an informal business meeting with colleagues, with free wifi available throughout the day.

The new hotel has been built on the former site of the original Strand hotel. The original hotel was built and opened in the early 1970s by Laurence Burrows. With his connection to the area it was fitting that he was able to assist in the official opening of the brand new hotel. Mr Burrows, at 99, believed to one of Bude's oldest residents, was able to cut the ribbon a 2^nd time, when the original hotel changed hands. So, when Mr Burrows expressed his wish to help cut the ribbon at the new hotel, the Premier Inn team led by Operations Manager Claire Varker, were keen to make his wish come true!

Mr Burrows, had the honour of cutting the ribbon alongside local MP Scott Mann, Peter Moores Bude & Stratton Mayor and the newly recruited hotel team.

Claire Varker, Operations Manager for Premier Inn Bude commented: 'We're delighted to have such a special group of VIPs to help us officially open the hotel so we can start welcoming guests from near and far. We hope that even more people will now be able to enjoy all that the area offers. As a business, we're absolutely committed to investing back into the areas where we operate, and are really pleased to have been able to bring so many important new year-round jobs to the town.

'We are looking forward to quickly establishing ourselves as a valuable and successful member of the community.'

Scott Mann MP for North Cornwall said: 'It's fantastic to see a great British business investing in our town and I am delighted that the new Premier Inn is now open for business. The new hotel is a good news story to Bude - it has created 28 new jobs and offers increased consumer choice which will help support local businesses through increased tourism spend.'

The Premier Inn is now available to book at premierinn.com with rooms starting from £31.50*.

For the opening week, guests and visitors can also take a walk through some of The Strand's historic past with a selection of images from past to present on display in the hotel's reception area.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For further information and if you would like to arrange a show-round of the new Premier Inn, please contact Natalie McConnon at pressoffice@whitbread.com

*Prices checked on 25/1/19, saver rate double room on Friday 9th Feb 2018. Saver rate terms and condition apply.

** Two (2) kids aged 15 and under can eat for free when accompanied by an adult purchasing a full Premier Inn breakfast.

About Premier Inn

Premier Inn was named the UK's top-rated hotel chain for 2017 according to Which? With over 750 budget hotels and more than 70,000 rooms across the UK and Ireland, Premier Inn guests are never far from a great night's sleep at fantastic value rates. Premier Inn hotels are in more locations than any other UK hotel brand for the ease and convenience of leisure and business travellers alike.

All Premier Inn bedrooms feature en-suite bathrooms, a luxurious Hypnos® bed, a choice of pillows, TV with Freeview and free Wi-Fi. A bar and restaurant is situated either on-site or next door to each hotel, offering a wide range of food and drink including a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast.

In the past year, over 80% of Premier Inn hotels achieved a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence. Premier Inn has also been awarded the Best UK Family Hotel in the TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards, Best UK Hotel Group in the Silver Travel Awards and the Business In The Community Environmental Leadership Award.

Premier Inn employs over 19,000 team members and is a Whitbread PLC brand. Whitbread PLC achieved 8th place in The Sunday Times Best Big Companies To Work For in 2017, an accolade awarded as the result of direct team member feedback.

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity is the National Charity partner of Premier Inn and to date team members, guests and suppliers have reached the milestone of £10 million, which formed part of the funding towards the Premier Inn Clinical Building, officially opened by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in January 2018.

Outside of the UK, Premier Inn's expansion plans are focused on two key markets; Germany and the Middle East, with plans to expand in Ireland. Premier Inn opened its first hotel in Frankfurt in 2016 and also operates hotels in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar.