Lowestoft: New jobs in store as Premier Inn expands

BUDGET hotel chain Premier Inn has announced a �1.8million extension to its Lowestoft site.

The work at the hotel, off the A12 Yarmouth Road, will see the number of rooms increase from 60 to 99.

Premier Inn, which is part of the Whitbread group, said the investment would lead to another four jobs being created at the hotel, which is due to open its new bedrooms to guests on March 5, bringing the number of staff up to 72.

The company said the expansion was fuelled by demand, with the hotel ideally located for the beaches of Lowestoft and the Pleasurewood Hills theme park.

Andy Huggins, general manager of Lowestoft’s Premier Inn, said: “We are delighted to be bringing more rooms to the existing Premier Inn and also creating additional new jobs for those in the Lowestoft community.

“We look forward to welcoming even more guests to enjoy a night’s stay with us at the newly extended hotel and for those guests staying with us for leisure, the hotel is perfectly situated to show what Lowestoft has to offer.

“Those staying for business can be assured that our hotel provides good value accommodation that doesn’t compromise on quality.”

The Lowestoft hotel sold 17,240 rooms between March last year and last week.

Each of the 99 bedrooms caters for up to two adults and two children, aged 15 and under.

Premier Inn has more than 600 budget hotels in Britain and Ireland, offering more than 46,000 rooms to guests.

In an interim trading statement last December, Whitbread said that Premier Inn sales had grown by 8.1%, with total room nights sold rising by 5.9% to 2.9 illion.

The company last year opened 743 new rooms and plans to open about 4,000 new rooms and 14 restaurants in the coming year.

Last month Premier Inn was named as the Best Budget Hotel Brand at the 2012 Business Travel Awards.