DOHALAND and Premier Inn have announced a deal that will see the introduction of the budget hotel operator in the Gulf state.
The company’s first property in Qatar will be a 200-room hotel to be built at the Doha Education City, on the outskirts of the capital city.
Premier Inn, which is owned by one of the UK’s oldest companies, Whitbread, is the largest hotel group in the UK with almost 600 hotels. The company currently operates three hotels in the UAE, with two more coming soon, and opened its first hotel in India last year.
Darroch Crawford, managing director of Premier Inn in the Middle East said: “We are delighted with the response to Premier Inn in the region and two of our three hotels are delivering occupancies ahead of their business case despite the economic downturn.”
In the GCC, Premier Inn offers 24-sq-m bedrooms with en-suite bathroom, 32-inch flat-screen TV and free internet access. All Premier Inns have a restaurant, a bar and a rooftop swimming pool.
“The Premier Inn is trusted to always deliver a comfortable and immaculately clean room at a great price wherever we operate. We have made a few small adjustments to our room design to reflect the international nature of the clientele in the region, but essentially the room is very similar to those we offer in the UK,” said Crawford.
Amidst difficult times last year, he confirmed that the company did reduce daily room rates to ensure it continued to offer the best value for money in the market but, since then, occupancies have increased and overall revpar is higher than last year.
“Premier Inn room rates in Dubai are all below Dh300 ($81.6) during the summer, but this is sustainable as we are a very efficient low-cost operation. We have not had to compromise on a single operating standard despite the downturn,” he added.
Premier Inn’s planned further openings include hotels in Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Muscat, Doha, Riyadh and Jeddah. The company also has plans for a joint venture to roll out 80 budget hotels in India by 2017. Premier Inn operates in the GCC under a joint venture with the Emirates Group.