Whitbread confirms plans for a 108-bedroom hotel on Southend Road
Premier Inn, the UK’s largest hotel brand, has confirmed plans to come to Hunstanton - subject to planning.
The company's in early discussions with the Borough Council on the design, with a planning application expected to be submitted in the autumn. It would be located on Southend Road which is currently a car park.
Cllr Simon Ring, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Business, says, “This is huge news for Hunstanton, the culmination of years of discussions between the council and Premier Inn.
“The detailed designs of course will come out through the usual planning process and consultation. But the sheer fact the UK’s largest hotel chain wants to invest in Hunstanton is a vote of confidence in the resort’s future, placing us alongside Norfolk’s other big visitor destinations, and this investment and new facility will hopefully act as a catalyst for further money, guided by our Masterplan.”
If granted planning permission, the hotel would be the first Premier Inn to open on the north Norfolk coast and the first in the county since Great Yarmouth Seafront in 2019.
Paul Smith, Acquisitions Manager for Whitbread (the chain's parent company), adds, “Hunstanton is one of the UK’s best-known seaside destinations and a place we’ve wanted to bring Premier Inn to for some time.
"It attracts visitors from across the East of England and beyond, yet it does not currently offer any branded hotel rooms to visitors."
Image Ian Burt
“We believe a Premier Inn in Hunstanton would be a great addition to the town’s tourism offer," he continues, "Providing visitors with the quality, value and reliability they expect from the UK’s leading hotel brand while helping to support local businesses, jobs and year-round economic activity."