A new eight-storey Premier Inn at Botley’s West Way shopping centre development is to open on Friday.
The hotel is the first of two major investments by Whitbread in Oxford this year - its hotel at Westgate in Paradise Square is to open in the summer.
When it opens its doors on Friday, Premier Inn Botley will be the first Premier Inn to the west of the city.
The 123-bedroom hotel, which features Premier Inn’s latest format bedrooms and Thyme restaurant on the first floor, occupies a prominent position overlooking the A34 and West Way. It won't open to all guests until May 17 due to coronavirus restrictions.
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A team of 30, led by a new hotel manager who opened Premier Inn’s hotel at Oxford Airport in March 2020, are ready to welcome guests travelling for work and other reasons that meet Government criteria.
Caroline Burt, estate development project manager at Premier Inn, said: “It’s always a delight to welcome the first guests through the doors of our new hotels.
The new Premier Inn at Paradise Square in Oxford Picture: Whitbread
“The new Oxford Botley hotel looks fantastic, the team are raring to go, and we are all set to provide the excellent standards and service Premier Inn is known for.
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“We talk a lot about ‘strategic’ growth in the business. It’s our approach to investing in locations we are expect strong long-term demand from our guests for our affordable hotel rooms.
"Oxford is one of our strategic growth markets and an exciting city for us with our first opening in Botley this week and a new 90-bedroom flagship Premier Inn at Westgate to follow this summer.
"While Covid-19 has impacted the hospitality industry in the short-term, there is no question that Oxford will continue to be an important destination.”
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The Botley Development Company, a joint venture between Mace Developments and Doric Properties, delivered the new hotel for Whitbread as part of its West Way Square scheme.
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