Whitbread signs deal to expand Premier Inn in the Middle East
LEISURE giant Whitbread has struck a deal with Aim-listed hotel group Action to expand its Premier Inn brand across the Middle East.
The group said yesterday that Premier Inn will undertake long-term management contracts on four new Premier Inn hotels owned by Action Hotels, that are due to open between now and 2016.
These include a Premier Inn in Dubai, Sharjah, Jeddah and Bahrain, with the hotels ranging between 100 and 250 bedrooms.
Action, which specialises in developing hotels in the Middle East and Australia, plans to invest around £63m over the course of the next two years as they build the new hotels, creating 170 new jobs in the region.
Premier Inn’s head of Middle East & Africa, Darroch Crawford, said: “Premier Inn already has five hotels operating in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and the brand is proving very popular with customers who are looking for great value accommodation…We are delighted to be partnering with Action Hotels to introduce the Premier Inn brand to new countries.”