Whitbread has bought two trading Future Inns hotels in Bristol and Plymouth, adding 292 rooms to a UK and Ireland portfolio that already exceeds 86,000 rooms under Premier Inn and Hub by Premier Inn. The hotels will rebrand as Premier Inn properties within weeks.

The deal signals a rare conversion play for Whitbread, which grows mainly through new-build development. Refurbishment starts immediately: just over half the rooms will be bookable from early November, and the refit completes by mid December.

Why is Future Inns selling?

Future Inns, a Canadian family-owned brand, entered the UK in 2005 with a Cardiff opening. Plymouth followed in 2006 and Bristol in 2009. The company is now retrenching to its single Welsh site.

Managing Director Del Brett said: "It has been an important milestone for our company to sell our Plymouth and Bristol properties to Whitbread this year. Our company is transitioning at this time to the operation of our 197-bedroom original UK property in Cardiff Bay, which will continue to trade for the foreseeable future as Future Inn."

What does the deal mean for Whitbread's pipeline?

Alex Flach, UK & Ireland development director at Whitbread, said the acquisition "shows how flexible we can be to bring new locations into our secured pipeline".

"The hotels will strengthen our network in Plymouth and Bristol, two markets we see strong long-term demand and want to grow further," Flach said.

New development remains Whitbread's main expansion route in the UK, Ireland and Germany. Two London Hub by Premier Inn projects are under way:

• Hub by Premier Inn 5 Strand London — the brand's largest site to date at 693 rooms, a new build just off Trafalgar Square, opening late 2028.
• Hub at Victory House Kingsway — a 200-room conversion of a redundant office building, opening early 2028. Conversions typically deliver faster than new builds.

How fast is the German business growing?

Whitbread recently opened Premier Inn Halle, its 75th hotel in Germany. The construction programme includes:

• Two Berlin hotels: Premier Inn Berlin City Spittelmarkt and Premier Inn Berlin-Lichtenberg.
• Two Hamburg hotels: Premier Inn Hamburg Central and Premier Inn Finkenwerder, together adding 465 rooms in the city.
• Premier Inn Eschborn recently opened.
• Sites under construction in Kassel, Magdeburg, Freiburg and Potsdam, extending the brand beyond the major cities.

Whitbread will complete the Bristol and Plymouth refits by mid December, converting the acquired stock into full Premier Inn trading before year-end while the Cardiff Bay Future Inn continues to operate under its original brand.