Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport hotel, West Sussex

When the Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport​ hotel opened on 29 November​, one could be forgiven for thinking the launch​ was just the latest in a series of new hotels for the budget operator.

However the opening was also a significant milestone - the 630-bedroom hotel is the UK's largest Premier Inn and the launch marked the unveiling of the Whitbread-owned hotel chain’s 50,000th room.

BigHospitality was there to see Whitbread’s managing director Patrick Dempsey and Employment Minister Mark Hoban cut the ribbon. 

“This is a really big opening and a significant occasion for us,” said Dempsey at the launch. “It’s also a great opportunity to share with the Employment Minister what we at Whitbread are doing towards helping employment and training - our target is to create 10,000 new jobs over the next three years," he added.