Premier Inn owner Whitbread maintained guidance despite an extension of the UK government’s lockdown, forecasting strong summer demand in coastal destinations.
The company on Thursday said first quarter like-for-like sales across its hotel and restaurant estate were down 71% compared with the same period in 2019 before the pandemic struck. In the 13 weeks to May 27, UK accommodation sales were down 60.9% while food and drink sales slumped 86% as lockdowns were enforced.
“The group traded significantly ahead of the market during the quarter, despite the impact of the government restrictions that were in place,” said chief executive Alison Brittain.
“Additionally, our forward bookings continue to improve, benefiting from the anticipated post-lockdown bounce in leisure demand, and a continued gradual improvement in business bookings. During the first quarter we opened 10 new hotels in the UK.”
Whitbread reported encouraging trends after May 17, when overnight leisure stays were permitted. The government had planned to lift restrictions on June 21, allowing people to gather indoors at pubs and nightclubs, but an outbreak on the so-called Delta variant of the coronavirus, which originated in India, has forced a one-month delay.
Whitbread said 98% of its hotel and restaurants were now open and forward booking trends in tourist locations over the summer were strong, except for central London and airport locations.
