The hotel, developed in collaboration with investment and asset manager Abrin, is housed in a converted office space above the shopping centre and has 125 rooms in Premier Inn’s most recent design.
This opening marks Whitbread’s initial venture into the heart of Cambridge, creating 31 new permanent jobs and offering in-house training and apprenticeship opportunities to all employees.
The hotel is located among the city’s heritage buildings and is within a short walking distance of the city centre’s attractions. With an entrance on Guild Hall Street, it features both standard and enhanced Premier Plus bedrooms and a first-floor integrated restaurant space.
The building’s original structure has been mostly preserved, and improvements have been made to its energy efficiency and acoustic performance to align with the company’s latest standards. The renovation also prioritizes sustainability, aiming to achieve an ‘A’ sustainability rating by installing heat pumps and photovoltaic cells.
Cambridge attracts over 7.6 million visitors annually, contributing more than £2bn to the local economy. The Lion Yard Shopping Centre alone sees over 200,000 people weekly.
The opening of this Premier Inn increases Whitbread’s presence in Cambridge to four locations and over 430 rooms. Nationwide, the company operates more than 85,500 Premier Inn rooms and sees potential for a long-term expansion to 125,000 UK rooms.
In the lead-up to the opening, Whitbread collaborated with ActionFunder to raise funds for local charities in the city. The hotel’s new employees selected four charities to share a £10,000 local charity fund provided by Whitbread.
