We’re proud to be the UK’s largest hotel chain, offering 800+ hotels across the UK and beyond. From last minute breaks and business trips to family staycations and romantic getaways, chances are you’ve probably stayed in one of our great value hotels over the years – but have you ever wondered where it all started for us? Let’s dive into the history of our Premier Inn hotels and look ahead to what we’ve got in store for the future!
The history of Premier Inn
London County Hall hotel
Our Premier Inn story
We’ve gone by many names over the years, starting with Travel Inn back in 1987 when our parent company, Whitbread, first decided to launch a hotel chain. The first Travel Inn opened in Basildon and was soon followed by many other Travel Inn hotels across the UK. We kept this name for years until, after buying the Premier Lodge hotel brand in 2004, Whitbread decided to merge the two names to create Premier Travel Inn.
In 2006, we started opening hotels in the United Arab Emirates before expanding again with new hotels in Ireland. In 2007, we decided to drop ‘Travel’ from our branding altogether, and the name Premier Inn was born. From expanding our collection of great value hotels to developing our super-comfy beds and famous Premier Inn breakfast, we just kept growing and growing over the years to become the Premier Inn brand you know and love today. The rest, as they say, is history!
Berlin Alexanderplatz hotel
Hotels in Germany and beyond...
The success of our hotels across the UK and Ireland gave us an idea – what if we could bring the magic of our Premier Inn hotels to Germany? So we did! We opened our first German hotel back in 2016 – the stylish Premier Inn Frankfurt Messe – and we haven’t looked back since. Whether you fancy booking city breaks in Berlin, weekends away in Munich or family trips to Frankfurt, we’ve got you covered with 60 hotels in Germany and counting!
What’s next for Premier Inn
Being the UK’s top hotel chain doesn’t stop us from constantly evolving – we’re always looking for ways to enhance the Premier Inn experience for our guests. Find out more about how we’re constantly innovating, including an introduction to our latest room type, Next Evolution Style! Plus, check out our latest hotel openings for a little short break inn-spiration.