Whitbread’s 691 Room Trafalgar Square Hotel Reaches Construction Midpoint

Whitbread has completed the superstructure of its 691-room hub by Premier Inn Trafalgar Square hotel, marking the midpoint of construction. The 13-story hotel is scheduled to open in 2028 and will create more than 100 permanent jobs, with recruitment focused on Westminster and neighboring central and inner London boroughs.

The company marked the milestone at a topping-out event on Nov. 4. About 60 guests attended, including project team representatives, residents, businesses and senior Westminster City councillors.

Attendees included Shona Gold, commercial director for hub by Premier Inn; Hester King, project and program manager for the development; Ray Hutchinson, CEO of Gilbert-Ash; Mark Anderson, Whitbread’s managing director for property and international; and Howard Dawber, London’s deputy mayor for business and growth.

The 16,000-square-meter hotel is being built near Trafalgar Square. Whitbread acquired the formerly vacant development site in summer 2022. Building work, including demolition, began shortly afterward, and Gilbert-Ash was appointed as the principal contractor.

The hotel was designed by Axiom Architects. Its design includes double-vaulted ground-floor arches, sections of Portland stone and bronze-effect finishes. Improved public spaces will be delivered as part of the development.

A guest lounge will occupy the ground floor facing the Strand. Standard, Upgrade and Universally Accessible bedrooms will be located throughout the hotel. Bedroom views will include Buckingham Palace, the West End, South Bank and St. James’s.

The hotel will be powered by electricity generated from low-carbon sources.

Whitbread expects the hotel to attract more than 285,000 guests annually when it matures. An economic study by Turley Economics estimated that those visitors will contribute £30 million a year in external visitor expenditure to London’s economy.