UK hospitality giant Whitbread has said it remains confident of a strong performance this year following a good showing in the first quarter of the year.
The group – which operates its Premier Inn budget hotel brand in the UK, Ireland and continental Europe – has reported a 1% year-on-year rise in first quarter sales to £739m; with figures driven by Premier Inn’s performance.
“Whilst the normal booking pattern means our forward visibility remains limited, our forward booked position is positive and we remain confident in the full year outlook,” said Premier Inn CEO Dominic Paul.
Mr Paul said bookings outpaced the market in the first quarter and remain good going forward.
Separately, Premier Inn has said it is planning to grow its bedroom portfolio in Ireland by 30%, or 5,000 extra rooms by expanding its presence in Dublin, Killarney, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Sligo, Westport, Tralee, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, and Wexford.
