Whitbread names contractor for new Vauxhall Premier Inn

Whitbread has announced the appointment of contractor Legendre UK to convert an 80,000 sq ft vacant office building in Vauxhall into a 180-bedroom Premier Inn hotel. Construction work at Phoenix House, a 10-storey former office building opposite Vauxhall Station, is scheduled to begin later this year, with completion expected by the end of 2027.

The company has signed a 30-year lease with Lambeth Council, which acquired the property in 2004 and retains the head lease. The building was used for council offices until 2019.

Whitbread said the project would retain the building's existing structure, converting office space into hotel bedrooms and upgrading the mezzanine level to create a guest restaurant and reception area.

The development is part of Whitbread's central London expansion plans, where the company already operates more than 100 hotels within the M25 and has identified 40 potential growth locations. The completed hotel is expected to create around 25 permanent jobs. Legendre UK is also developing a 171-room hotel at Grove House in Hammersmith and a 429-room scheme at Park Royal.

Sam Murphy, project and programme manager at Whitbread, said Phoenix House is "a fantastic opportunity to bring Premier Inn to the heart of Vauxhall for the first time." Thomas Vandecasteele, managing director of Legendre UK, called it "our first project with Whitbread."