Whitbread has appointed Legendre UK to convert a former office building opposite Vauxhall Station into a 180-room Premier Inn, bringing the brand to the London neighbourhood for the first time.
The project will transform Phoenix House, a 10-storey building within the St George Wharf riverside development. Main construction work is due to begin later in 2026, with completion scheduled for the end of 2027.
Phoenix House to Become a 180-Room Hotel
The conversion will retain the existing structure of the 80,000 sq ft building, adapting its former office floors to accommodate Premier Inn’s latest room designs, including Premier Plus rooms.
An upgraded mezzanine will house the hotel’s reception and guest restaurant. The property sits close to the River Thames, with rail and Underground connections available at Vauxhall Station opposite.
Whitbread expects the hotel to create around 25 permanent hospitality jobs and generate additional year-round spending in the surrounding area.
Former Lambeth Council Offices Return to Use
Built in the early 2000s, Phoenix House was acquired by Lambeth Council in 2004 and served as council offices until 2019. It has remained largely vacant since then.
Under the agreement, Whitbread will lead the conversion and lease the completed hotel from Lambeth Council for 30 years. The council will retain its longer-term head lease.
Whitbread agreed lease terms in March 2025 and has since secured planning permission and begun strip-out work ahead of the main construction phase.
Sam Murphy, Project and Programme Manager at Whitbread, said the scheme would bring Premier Inn into the heart of Vauxhall while demonstrating how vacant offices can be adapted for hotel use.
Conversion Targets BREEAM Excellent Rating
The development is targeting BREEAM Excellent certification, with the reuse of the building’s existing structure central to the approach.
Thomas Vandecasteele, Managing Director of Legendre UK, said the contractor would retain and adapt as much of the structure as possible. Phoenix House is Legendre UK’s first project with Whitbread.
The contractor’s other London hotel projects include the planned conversion of Grove House in Hammersmith into a 171-room hotel and the redevelopment of the former Diageo headquarters in Park Royal into a 429-room hotel scheme.
Central London Remains a Growth Market
The Vauxhall project continues Whitbread’s established approach to office-to-hotel conversions in London, which includes the transformation of County Hall in the late 1990s.
Central London is a priority market in the company’s five-year growth plan for Premier Inn and its sister brand, hub by Premier Inn. Whitbread currently operates more than 100 hotels within the M25 and has identified 40 locations across London where it wants to expand.
