Premier Inn’s parent company, Whitbread PLC, has expanded its London development team by appointing Sam Murphy as its new project and program manager.
This is the fifth addition to Whitbread’s development team this year as the company continues to invest in its expansion program in the UK and Ireland.
Reporting to Whitbread’s Head of Construction (London and South), Sam oversees the delivery of Premier Inn hotels’ new Premier Inn and hub in London and the wider South East.
The company currently has more than 100 Premier Inns and Premier Inns within the M25 and is looking to establish or improve its existing footprint in a further 40 locations across London.
Simon Lancaster, Whitbread’s director of construction in London, said: “London is a very attractive market for Premier Inn and our sister brand Premier Inn. Our established network of shopping hotels is performing well and we see significant scope for growth.
“budget brands make up a smaller proportion of the London market compared to the UK as a whole, so we see considerable room to grow.”
“Sam’s appointment strengthens our busy project management team, which is focused on delivering the next generation of Premier Inn hotels to our customers. He will be on the move, working directly on our freehold and leasehold projects in the capital and advising our own property acquisition team on the delivery of new hotel development projects.
“It’s a challenging and important role and I look forward to working with him on some of our most significant pipeline developments.”
Sam started his career in a real estate agency and worked his way up through the ranks of leading global real estate consultants before joining Whitbread. He has 18 years of experience in development work and project management, and he is now moving to the position of project and program manager.
Whitbread currently offers customers over 85,500 Premier Inn rooms in the UK and Ireland and sees long-term potential for 125,000 bedrooms in these key markets. The company’s goal is to expand its network to 98,000 operational rooms by the 30th fiscal year, utilizing its committed and future development trajectory and 3,500 expansion rooms to its current portfolio.
In London, Whitbread currently operates on-site or in advanced planning at three key locations. The company recently received planning permission for a large 693-bedroom center at the Premier Inn development in The Strand, with construction expected to start in 2025.
Sam’s appointment caps off a productive year of growth for Whitbread’s real estate team. During the year, the company made a total of five new additions to its UK and Ireland property team, all dedicated to expanding Whitbread’s hotel portfolio.
