Whitbread, the UK’s largest hospitality business and owner of the Premier Inn chain, has agreed a lease on a key development site on Lower Bristol Road in Bath.
Whitbread signed the agreement for lease with Frank Capital for the former office and development site.
The Beazer House office building will be demolished to make way for a new six-story, 68,000 sq ft, 152-bedroom Premier Inn hotel. An on-site restaurant and bar will be incorporated on the ground floor.
Pictured: the location of the hotel scheme
Construction is expected to commence in early 2026, with the hotel targeted to open in 2028.
The hotel will be the second Premier Inn in the city, joining Whitbread’s existing hotel on James Street.
Paul Smith, Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said: “Securing a new location for our customers in Bath City Centre is a significant achievement in our south-west growth story. There is a well-known undersupply of budget hotel rooms in Bath, and this new location will help us to meet the consistently high, year-round demand we see for Premier Inn bedrooms in city.”
Planning permission for the hotel on Lower Bristol Road was granted in September 2024. The former office was built in 1966 and has been vacant since November 2023.
Natasha El Shazly, General Counsel at Frank Capital, said: “We are delighted to have exchanged contracts with Whitbread and now look forward to working with the design team, led by TP Bennett, to deliver an exemplary new build hotel that is both respectful of its significant heritage context and forward thinking in its approach to sustainability.”
The hotel is targeting to achieve a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating and will be run solely on electricity generated from renewable sources.
Savills advised Frank Capital. Whitbread was advised by Sisman Property Consultants.
Images: Whitbread and Frank Capital
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