In Brief: Premier Inn has announced plans for a 108-bedroom hotel on Southend Road in Hunstanton, North Norfolk, with a planning application expected to be submitted in the autumn.
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Premier Inn Plans 108-Bedroom Hotel in Hunstanton, North Norfolk – Image Credit Whitbread
Premier Inn, part of Whitbread PLC, intends to invest in a multimillion-pound hotel development in Hunstanton, subject to planning approval. The proposed hotel would be located on Southend Road, on a section of the Seagate East Car Park. The coach park and the Honeystone Public House car park are not included in the proposed development site.
The company is in early discussions with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk regarding the hotel’s design. If approved, the Hunstanton Premier Inn would be the first of the brand on the North Norfolk coast and the first to open in the county since the Great Yarmouth Seafront Premier Inn opened in 2019.
Plans for the hotel include 108 guest bedrooms with the brand’s latest room designs, including Premier Plus rooms, a guest-focused restaurant, and dedicated on-site car parking spaces. Whitbread expects the hotel, once operational, to generate multi-million-pound benefits for the Hunstanton economy through staff salaries and year-round visitor expenditure.
The proposal follows Whitbread’s recent planning approval for the redevelopment of its Norwich Nelson hotel on 9 July. The company is also seeking additional sites for Premier Inn hotels in Norfolk.
The proposed Hunstanton Premier Inn aligns with the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk’s masterplan for the town, which is under public consultation until 27 July. The masterplan aims to promote and diversify the town’s tourism offering.
Whitbread has confirmed it does not have any agreements with national government departments to house asylum seekers at any of its trading Premier Inn or hub by Premier Inn hotels in the UK and Ireland.
Premier Inn operates close to 850 hotels across the UK. The company reports that its customers are split equally between leisure and business guests, with a higher proportion of leisure visitors expected at the Hunstanton location due to its seaside setting.