Whitbread to invest £15m in raising staff pay amid cost of living crisis

Premier Inn owner Whitbread is to invest £15m in raising the pay of over 30,000 staff amid the rising cost of living.

From 4 November hourly-paid staff in its hotels, restaurants and guest support team will see their minimum rate of pay increase by over 4%.

Approximately 1,400 salaried hotel and restaurant manager will also see their salaries rise.

A one-off payment of £300 will be given to all hourly-paid team members and customer contact centre employees at its Dunstable headquarters. Over 34,000 - or 90 per cent - of Whitbread's UK workforce will be eligible.

A number of high-profile hospitality companies have raised wages this year amid a shortage of staff. Restaurant chain Itsu announced last month that it was giving its entire workforce a 13% pay rise while Pret A Manger increased the pay of 8,000 staff in January.

Simon Ewins, managing director for UK hotels and restaurants at Whitbread, said: “As a business, we have seen a strong recovery in the first half as people return to overnight leisure and business trips and we’re hot off the heels of another very busy summer where our hotel and restaurant teams have continued to deliver the outstanding guest service for which they are famous. We want to thank our guest facing team members for their continued support.”

Whitbread, which also owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurant brands, said its entry-level rates of pay had increased by 22% between 2019 and November 2022.

Ewins added: “It remains key to ensure our pay rates remain competitive and that Whitbread remains the first port of call for new talent looking for year-round jobs in hospitality”.

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