Whitbread opens green Premier Inn and Beefeater Grill

Whitbread has opened its second sustainable Premier Inn hotel and the first low-energy Beefeater Grill in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, at a development cost of £6m.

The 60-bedroom hotel incorporates ground-source heat pumps, high-efficiency thermal insulation that reduces energy usage by 50%, and automated light controls. Energy-efficient kitchen equipment has also been installed, alongside rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling and solar panels to heat bath water.

Next door, the 220-seat Beefeater Grill, called the Acorn, is using an anaerobic digestion waste recycling scheme to transform food waster into green electricity and biofertiliser for local crops.

All 45 staff at the new hotel and restaurant have been trained to understand the technologies behind the design of the properties and to help with minimising everyday energy and water consumption.

There are currently more than 580 Premier Inns and over 140 Beefeater Grills across the UK.

Premier Inn to launch its first green hotel >>

Whitbread to open second green hotel >>

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By Janet Harmer

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