Premier Inn  has begun building its first hotel in Abu Dhabi and fourth in the United Arab Emirates, at a prime location within ADNEC’s Capital Centre, marking further progress in the roll out of Premier Inn’s aggressive regional expansion. 

The new hotel to be ready by September 2011 will have 242 rooms, with the cost of development reaching AED120 Million.

Darroch Crawford, Managing Director of Premier Inn Middle East said, “We are delighted to have secured this prime plot in Capital Centre.  Capital Centre’s excellent infrastructure and proximity to Abu Dhabi’s superb new events facility makes it an ideal location for Premier Inn”.

Capital Centre, master-planned by ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company) is a micro-city of 23 mixed-use towers, including seven hotels. The development is adjacent to the gravity-defying Capital Gate tower, and the Gulf’s largest exhibition centre, the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, which staged over one hundred events last year.

Simon Horgan, CEO of ADNEC Group said: “ADNEC is very pleased to support Premier Inn’s debut project in Abu Dhabi. The thriving Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre is an engine for the Capital Centre development and as the number and range of events we attract continues to expand, the need for a balanced portfolio of on-site accommodation requirements will increase. I am confident that ADNEC’s plans to further develop the site will ensure that leading hospitality providers such as Premier Inn will benefit from being located in one of the most commercially viable destinations in Abu Dhabi.”

The new hotel in Abu Dhabi, with its 242 rooms, follows the brand template of Premier Inn in the UK.  All rooms come with en-suite bathrooms and are capable of comfortably accommodating a family of up to four. The hotel will also offer a contemporary restaurant (Bedouinns), a bar (The Retreat), and a Costa Coffee outlet. A podium sundeck will feature a swimming pool and whirlpool spa.

Premier Inn already has three other hotels in the UAE, at Dubai Investments Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai International Airport. With its new property in Abu Dhabi, Premier Inn said it was continuing to buck an industry trend of “holding all activity until the market picks up.”

Premier Inn aims to have hotels at prime locations across the UAE and as the company moves forward, across the region.  “Although the current economic climate shows a general slow-down in expansion plans for most companies, for Premier Inn it is vital for us to continue as we have always planned in order to take advantage of the increasing number of travellers seeking out the best value for money hotels,” added Crawford 

Premier Inn is part of the Whitbread group in the UK and accounts for 70% of the group’s profits. Results from a Morgan Stanley corporate travel survey suggested that hotel operators are likely to see another year of weak hotel prices in 2010, with revenues per available room (revpar) forecast to fall by 4 per cent in the US and 2 per cent in Europe. Despite this forecast and the economic climate, Premier Inn continues to buck the trend with its shares continuing to rise on the FTSE 100. This performance has allowed Premier Inn to push ahead with expansion plans in the region. 

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