Whitbread PLC is set to invest approximately £4.5 million to develop a new Premier Inn and Table Table restaurant at Towers Business Park, Rugeley. A deal was completed earlier this year and construction is now set to start in mid-July.The investment will see a 50-bedroom hotel built side by side with the Table Table restaurant. Together, the scheme is set to create approximately 65 jobs and is scheduled to open in early 2011.
The deal involved significant support from Advantage West Midlands (AWM) and Cannock Chase District Council who had cleaned and prepared the site for redevelopment, prior to securing the deal with Premier Inn.
The new Premier Inn in Rugeley will add to the hotel brand’s already strong presence across Staffordshire and is part of the firm’s ambition to provide customers with more choice and more locations nationwide. Premier Inn, which currently has 593 UK hotels and 42,500 rooms, is pursuing a strategy to grow to 55,000 rooms by 2014.
John Bates, Head of Acquisitions for Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants, said: “Premier Inn is the most successful budget hotel operator in the UK today and we want to ensure that ongoing success by investing in key network gap locations – Rugeley is one of these. This deal enables us to bring Premier Inn to Towers Business Park which is a great opportunity for us and a superb scheme to be involved in. The support from Advantage West Midlands has been invaluable and we have been delighted by the partnership approach on this project. Now, we’re looking forward to getting started on construction within the next few weeks, recruiting for new roles and opening for our customers in early 2011.”
Steve Holland, AWM Head of Asset Management, said: “This is one of the last pieces of the jigsaw slotting into place. We have worked with partners to invest more than £10 million on making this former colliery site ready for high quality office, industrial and warehouse space. The site is substantially occupied and those businesses and others in the region will now have quality hotel and restaurant facilities close at hand.”
The new Rugeley hotel will bolster Premier Inn’s presence in the region, adding to existing hotels in Stafford (three locations), Cannock (two sites), Uttoxeter, Burton-on-Trent and Lichfield. Premier Inn’s first ‘green hotel’ is also close by at Tamworth.
Towers Business Park is a 40.5 hectare (100 acre) former colliery site on the outskirts of Rugeley being developed by Advantage West Midlands, Cannock Chase Council and Gazeley to create high-quality office, industrial and warehouse space.
