Whitbread warns of £60m increase in costs due to inflation

Premier Inn and restaurant chains owner reports profit bounceback to pre-Covid levels

The owner of Premier Inn and restaurant chains including Beefeater has reported a bounceback in profits to above pre-Covid levels but warned of a 60m increase in costs this year fuelled by soaring inflation.

Whitbread, which runs 844 Premier Inn hotels, also said it was increasing its target of number of rooms from 110,000 to 125,000 to take advantage of independent accommodation operators going bust in the UK and Ireland.