Trying to find a hotel in the centre of London has historically involved having to either take out a hefty loan or plump for accommodation that’s so far out you’re practically in Hertfordshire.
However, Premier Inn’s new location might be about to solve our problems.
Just a stone’s throw from sites such as St Paul’s Cathedral and Fleet Street, it’s sister brand, Hub, has just set up shop in a Victorian-era former police station, Snow Hill.
While rooms may not be quite as cheap as the chain’s usual offering, Hub hotels are ‘designed to offer a smart, stylish, great value stay in the best city centre locations’.
And this certainly seems to live up to the promise.
In fact, with a number of the Grade II Listed building’s original features still intact, alongside ‘luxury beds’ touch screen appliances, it could very well take the title of UK’s poshest Premier Inn.
The firm’s Farringdon opening joins 18 other Hubs across the UK, including sites in Marylebone, Edinburgh, Kings Cross, Shoreditch, and Soho.
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Incorporating many of the quintessential Premier Inn elements, Hub hotels focus more on accommodating solo travellers, with compact rooms and modern features such as free superfast Wi-Fi and monsoon showers.
A number of the Hub spots have self-service check in machines, so if you like a personal touch this might not be the place for you — but if you hate waiting around or making awkward small-talk, it’s ideal.
Where the traditional Premier Inn hotels are all about space for families at a reasonable price, the Hub sites are geared more towards convenience.
In 2024, consumer experts at Which? dubbed this sister brand the ‘best hotel chain in the UK’ thanks to an impressive 77% customer satisfaction rating for factors like cleanliness, comfortable beds, and value for money.
As such, the Hub by Premier Inn London Farringdon (Old Bailey) hotel, which opened on February 4, 2026, has some high expectations to live up to.
The hotel features 212 rooms — including ‘heritage’ options and the more modern ones Hub is known for, in ‘standard’ and ‘bigger’ sizes — alongside an on-site restaurant offering continental and hot breakfast options and quick bites for lunch or dinner.
After acquiring the 1870s City of London building in 2020, Premier Inn owner Whitebread, has tastefully refurbished it, incorporating the work of two London-based artists — Hilary Yip and Leily Mojdehi.
In a similar way to how Wetherspoons embraces certain building’s historic pasts, the hotel has attempted to honour’s the former police station’s legacy by commissioning six collage pieces by Mojdehi and Yip.
The artworks, inspired by Snow Hill’s history, have been put on display in a free-to-enter cultural space at the entrance to the hotel, so both visitors and guests alike can take a look.
But even though its main selling points appear to be design and location, this spot doesn’t fare too badly on price either; one night, checking in on Monday February 23, comes in at just £78, although rates go up to about £130 depending on how far in advance you book.
Shortly following the hotel’s opening, Jonathan Langdon, Senior Acquisition Manager for Whitbread, said: ‘We have poured our heart and soul into creating a showcase development at Farringdon (Old Bailey) – demonstrating how affordable hotels like hub by Premier Inn can breathe fresh life into vacant historic buildings in Central London.
‘The new hotel achieves so much, creating a fantastic new addition for our customers, retaining heritage, and contributing towards a buzzing and vibrant seven-day-a-week City of London through the activity and spending of our guests.’
I stayed in London’s award-winning hotel
Back in 2023, Metro lifestyle editor Rachel Moss checked into the West Brompton Hub by Premier Inn branch for a night, to see for herself what all the hype was about. Here’s what she thought:
‘The room, when I step inside after a long day, is spotlessly clean, inviting, and honestly not as basic as I’d expected.
‘A clever layout means the essentials are all present. Instead of a wardrobe you’ll find hanging space hidden behind a slim, full-length mirror. Below the bed, there’s storage space for your suitcase. A hairdryer is tucked neatly behind the bathroom door and the lights and heating are controlled via a sleek, touchscreen panel on the headboard.
‘The bed itself is a comfortable double with – to my surprise – a sumptuously soft warm duvet, crisp white bedding and fluffy white towels.
‘Though the paired back interiors take inspiration from Japanese capsule hotels, my ‘hub’ for the evening is most definitely a room, not a pod, and isn’t remotely claustrophobic. It’s around half the size of a standard Premier Inn room, but I always think those are unnecessarily large anyway.
‘By 10pm I was dead to the world and woke up the next day feeling a little more human, if not totally refreshed. Knowing I was only two stops on the District line from my desk definitely helped. I decided to skip the breakfast buffet (which costs an additional £7) and grab a croissant on the go instead to enjoy every last second of that lie-in.
‘These small but mighty budget rooms are a game-changer for hybrid workers who want the convenience of the city in the week but an escape to the countryside at the weekend.’
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