Whitbread have confirmed they will sponsoring one of the sessions at UKREiiF regarding ‘The Future of Coastal Towns’. Whitbread are the number one hotel operator in the UK and are also the owner of Premier Inn – the UK’s biggest hotel brand (with 820 hotels and 80,000 rooms all across the country). Whitbread employs more than 30,000 people in the UK and their hotels and restaurants serve over five million customers, not annually, but monthly!

Although these figures are impressive and provide insight into the scale of the business, Whitbread are also leading the way in Social Value too. Whitbread’s sustainability programme is called ‘Force for Good’ and is all about ensuring everyone benefits from the running of the business, whether that is customers, team members or suppliers. The Force For Good programme is grouped into three key pillars – Opportunity, Community and Responsibility – and these are synonymous with UKREiiF’s Key Themes of Net Zero, Future of Real Estate, Social Value & IDI and Inward Investment.

Alex Flach, UK Development Director, for Whitbread said: “Around half of Premier Inn guests stay with us on leisure breaks and we have been following this demand and expanding our brand into coastal and leisure-focused locations for many years now.  We believe our brand has a lot to offer coastal communities, through permanent employment opportunities for example, and also by attracting visitors who have a preference for the consistent and good-value accommodation that Premier Inn offers year-round. We will be exploring these issues on the Future of Coastal Towns panel at UKREiiF, drawing on the findings of primary research we recently undertook to calculate the economic impact of Premier Inn hotels in coastal and leisure locations.  We see a bright future for the UK’s coastal locations and I’m looking forward to contributing to the panel discussion at the event.”

Amanda Griffiths, Director at UKREiiF, said: “Whitbread are a big name in the hospitality space and we’re pleased to have them representing their brand at UKREiiF. As frontrunners in the hotel development space, we’re excited to see what opportunities Whitbread can present to other delegates in attendance across the three days in May, but also what new ventures might catch their eye”.

Led by property events company Built Environment Networking and supported by some of the biggest UK property and infrastructure companies, the first annual UKREiiF event will be held in Leeds on 17-19 May 2022. The forum will attract inward investment, generate economic growth and drive a more sustainable and inclusive culture within the property and construction industries.