Newmarket Square Premier Inn Hotel

Balancing the needs of an established operator like Premier Inn with the broader vision of an urban masterplan, this project provides an active frontage to Newmarket Square while introducing a new pedestrian link to St. Luke’s Avenue. The hotel, which forms part of a city block designed by Reddy A+U, integrates seamlessly into its urban context.

At a high level, the scheme adheres to Premier Inn’s standards, including room layouts, furniture specifications, and servicing requirements. Designing hotels presents unique challenges, particularly in addressing complex servicing and meeting rigorous acoustic requirements.

In accordance with the masterplan for Newmarket Square, the hotel was designed as part of a wider urban city block development which includes 320 new apartments, café, retail and considerable amenity for residential use, all of which were designed and delivered concurrently. However, the hotel brought different design challenges. The client brief entailed 150 beds, ground floor reception, dining area, bar, and lounge areas.

The area around Newmarket Square has historically been an industrial area, originally for flour mills, then, with the influx of artisans and craftspeople from Europe, rope making, weaving, and dyeing. In the 20th century the site was developed as an IDA business park continuing the legacy. The architectural design leant on this heritage through the façade articulation and the material selection.

As part of the wider block masterplan the hotel was used to anchor the corner of Newmarket Square and Brabazon street. This provides easy wayfinding to arriving guests, uses the “bird-mouth” boundary to create a pocket park for the adjacent tourist bus stop, and created a strong entrance from Newmarket Square for the new pedestrian route. The entrance on Brabazon street creates a quiet entrance to allow guests to congregate, organise and circulate freely, as often required for travelling groups.

The opened hotel is thriving and forms a popular location for visitors close to the city centre and key attractions.