More room at Premier Inn with Falkirk expansion

Hotel chain Premier Inn has unveiled plans to expand its venues across Falkirk as the area seeks to cash in on a tourism boom.

The Kelpies have attracted more than one million visitors in their first year. Picture: Michael Gillen

With the Falkirk Wheel now well established as an attraction and the nearby Kelpies drawing in more than one million visitors in the first year, tourism agency VisitFalkirk aims to increase the number of overnight stays in the region.

David Christmas, project and programme manager at Premier Inn, said: “With more and more people wanting to visit our hotels, we are adding an additional 66 bedrooms across our Falkirk portfolio.

“Falkirk is an excellent location for our guests and we are confident that our extensions will contribute positively to Falkirk’s vibrant tourism industry – attracting new visitors to the area and delivering new investment and jobs.”

Premier Inn is adding 20 rooms at its Falkirk Central and Falkirk East sites, along with 26 at Falkirk North. Sixty rooms have already been revamped at its Larbert hotel.

Adrian Mahoney, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for culture, leisure and tourism, said: “As the area continues to experience growth in visitor numbers there are obvious investment opportunities for firms in the leisure sector.”

Premier Inn parent Whitbread, which also owns the Costa coffee chain, is due to update investors on recent trading today.