A MAJOR hotel chain is eyeing expansion in Carlisle. 

Premier Inn, which currently has four sites in Carlisle, has ‘identified’ the city, which is currently undergoing major regeneration projects, as somewhere they would like to ‘strengthen’ their presence.

A spokesperson for Premier Inn said: “Premier Inn is continuing to expand across the UK and as we do we’re continually on the lookout for suitable new locations for our customers to enjoy.

“We have an established network of successful Premier Inn’s in Carlisle and have identified the city as somewhere we would like to strengthen our presence.

“Premier Inn hotels create long-term opportunities for our teams, but also the many local businesses our customers support when they stay with us.

“As soon as we find and commit to a suitable location we will be happy to share more information on us and how we bring long-term benefits to the locations we invest in.”

In May this year, the owner of the hotel chain, Dominic Paul, Whitbread chief executive, announced plans to axe 1,500 jobs at its pubs and restaurants around the UK as it seeks to expand its hotel offering. 

At the time it was reported that Whitbread, the hotel’s parent company, wants to sell 126 restaurants which includes brands such as Brewers Fayre and Beefeater.

The move is part of a plan to “optimise” its food and drink offering, add more than 3,500 hotel rooms across its estate and increase “operational efficiencies”.  

Premier Inn currently has eleven hotels in Cumbria, one of which is also in Penrith. 

In 2023, the chain opened its first hotel in the Lake District National Park. 

The opening of the 71-bedroom hotel at High Hill, Keswick, brought with it 24 new team members to run the hotel, all of whom are being employed on a permanent basis by Whitbread.

At the time, Premier Inn anticipated that around 30,000 of its guests would stay at the Keswick hotel every year based on its latest occupancy rates.