Whitbread names Dubai Premier Inn its top hotel

Premier Inn Dubai International Airport has been named Hotel of the Year by its UK holding company Whitbread Plc — beating 600 Premier Inns to the title.

The award — which recognised the hotel’s “consistent excellence” in guest satisfaction, quality assurance, revenue management, environmental initiatives and profitability — was presented to GM Paul Bridger at a ceremony in the UK on May 10.

Bridger said: “All of us who work for Premier Inn, not just the DIA hotel staff but across all our Dubai sites, are thrilled with this honour. The award is a tribute to all members of staff, whose friendliness, efficiency and professionalism help us exceed our guests’ expectations.

“To be recognised by our international peers is especially meaningful, and it inspires us to even greater standards of excellence.”

Darroch Crawford, managing director of Premier Inn Middle East & Africa added: “This really is an outstanding achievement for Premier Inn Dubai International Airport. The hotel team has worked extremely hard to get to this point and have consistently and diligently strived to deliver the brand philosophy to all customers ensuring their stay not only meets their expectations but exceeds them”.

Crawford credited the group’s strategic partnership with Emirates Airline as instrumental to its success since its launch in the Middle East in 2008.

“Our partnership with The Emirates Group provides a solid foundation for our brand, and with the support that Emirates has provided Premier Inn, we know that our plans for the future will only meet with success,” said Crawford.

The Premier Inn ‘value’ hotel model is now focused on expansion outside of Dubai, with the planned launch of two hotels in Abu Dhabi and one in Qatar also underway.