New Premier Inn now welcoming guests in Oxfordshire town

The 86-bedroom hotel, next to the Tesco Extra store off Marcham Road, opened earlier this month.

The chain, owned by Whitbread, already ran a Premier Inn and Beefeater restaurant a short distance away but this closed shortly before the opening of the new hotel.

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Staff at the new hotel said they had been looking after guests since September 8.

Gary Poulton, construction project and programme manager at Whitbread, said earlier: "The hotel will bring our very latest format rooms and restaurant to Abingdon at a convenient location close to the A34 and easy access into Oxford.

"All being well we hope to be ready to welcome guests to the hotel in the autumn, bringing more of our affordable hotel rooms to the pretty market town and further strengthening our offer in the wider Oxford area."

It is not yet known what will happen to the former Premier Inn in Marcham Road and it has remained empty since it closed.

Whitbread has said that it is now considering its options for the buildings.

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Recent openings in the Oxford area includes the Premier Inn in the city centre (Westgate – June 2021), at Botley (April 2021) and Oxford Airport (Kidlington) – January 2020).

The site next to Tesco Extra got planning permission as a Travelodge but the developers then switched to Premier Inn.

Jordan Tomkinson, estate development project manager for Whitbread, said: “It is always a pleasure to open a new hotel and welcome our customers to another superb Premier Inn.

“The Premier Inn Abingdon hotel brings our very latest format Premier Inn rooms, including 12 of our popular Premier Plus rooms, and guest lounge to a fantastic location adjacent to the A34.

“The new hotel refreshes our offering in the market town and continues our investment in Oxfordshire where our Premier Inns are in high demand and where we wish to grow further.”

The Hilton Garden Inn in Abingdon is also situated on the Marcham Road.

The new Premier Inn is not the only new hotel opening in the town.

A building close to the town centre which remained empty for almost a decade is about to reopen as a boutique hotel.

Ede Homes bought Old Abbey House near Waitrose about two years ago for £927,000 from Vale of White Horse District Council.

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The 27-bedroom hotel will open next month following a revamp which cost £3.5m.

For years residents in the town called for the building to be brought back into use as it became more and more dilapidated.

But now it has been restored by a team of experts and features including fire places, mantelpieces and a wooden staircase have been repaired.

Alice Ede, of Ede Homes, said earlier: "Old Abbey House Hotel is a 27-bedroom boutique hotel located in the heart of Abingdon, harmonising traditional charm of this lovingly restored 18th century building, alongside chic modern amenities.

"We are hoping to open in the middle of October."