Whitbread Takes Premier Inn to New Heights

(03 Nov 2021) Whitbread recently celebrated a landmark moment as the UK’s tallest Premier Inn hotel was officially topped out.

Located adjacent to Westferry DLR station in London, the £151 million project, comprising a 400-bedroom hotel and 68 new homes, will mark Westferry as a destination in its own right, rejuvenating a formerly derelict site into a high quality mixed-use scheme just moments from Canary Wharf.

Designed by architects, Simpson Haugh, and constructed by John Sisk & Son, the 30-storey mixed-use scheme, which is set for completion in Q3 2022, will also include a restaurant, café, gym facilities and a landscaped pocket park, alongside communal gardens for new residents.

The creation of new jobs has been fundamental throughout; in the early stages of the development, Rockwell - a London-based property developer - partnered with the London Training Centre to deliver hospitality skills training and qualifications to residents of Tower Hamlets.

Rockwell’s first 30 graduates, all women from the Westferry area, have now found employment having completed an intensive two-month training programme and gaining Level 2 qualifications in a range of different skillsets.

Upon completion, the development will create many more hotel and hospitality job opportunities for individuals living in Tower Hamlets and many more graduates from developer Rockwell’s Hospitality Skills Programme.

Donal Mulryan, Founder of Rockwell, said, “This is a pivotal moment for the development and for Rockwell. I am immensely proud of the entire project team who have come together to deliver this outstanding development on time despite difficulties faced through multiple lockdowns.

“As we near completion, our Hospitality Skills Programme will also enable local residents to gain the necessary skills and qualifications required to provide them with the best possible chance of securing employment through opportunities being created at Westferry. Delivering significant employment opportunities is a vital part of the positive legacy the development will leave on the area, especially as we move into post-pandemic economic recovery.”

At 400 bedrooms, Premier Inn Westferry will be the largest Premier Inn hotel in Greater London (excluding airport sites) and will feature 80 of Premier Inn’s enhanced Premier Plus bedrooms.

Louise Woodruff, Property Acquisitions Manager at Whitbread said, “The hotel is a landmark development for Whitbread and we’re looking forward to fitting out the building with our latest format rooms and delivering long-term economic benefits to Westferry.”