A new and improved Premier Inn could soon be built in south-west England.

Permission has been granted for Whitbread to build a 183-room Premier Inn hotel in Bristol.

Premier Inn owner Whitbread has been awarded planning consent to rebuild one of its Bristol properties following a fire that engulfed the site in 2019. We find out more.

Cribbs Causeway Premier Inn gets second chance at life

Whitbread has been given the go-ahead by South Gloucestershire Council to develop an improved hotel and restaurant on the prominent site in south-west England. The new build will follow the same U-shaped footprint as the previous structure, albeit with a simpler and more up-to-date design.

Richard Aldread, head of construction in the UK regions and Ireland at Whitbread, said: “Getting the green light to rebuild the Cribbs Causeway Premier Inn is positive news for Whitbread and Bristol.

“We committed early to rebuilding the hotel following the 2019 fire and our new design will deliver a latest specification Premier Inn in an important and popular location. We have been working on the plans for many months but with planning permission now granted, we’re looking forward to getting onto site later this summer and our aim is to have the building complete by the end of 2021.”

Whitbread promises a premier experience for guests

Rebuilding the Cribbs Causeway Premier Inn will give Whitbread the opportunity to improve the property and its facilities.

The former property boasted 177 guest rooms, but the plans for the new hotel will increase the key count to 183. Elsewhere, the restaurant and meeting areas will be reinstated as they were, while parking provision will be increased by raising up the Cribbs Causeway frontage to allow for a basement car park. The property will also meet current standards of sustainability, aiming for a BREEAM rating of ‘very good’, achieving a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions over and above the standards set out in building regulations.

The scheme has been designed by Axiom Architects, with Tower Eight appointed to project manage the build. Upon opening, the hotel will operate to strict safety, hygiene and cleaning protocols like the rest of the Premier Inn estate.