Whitbread said today that is first-quarter sales rose following a recovery in hotel stays in the UK and Germany, while the company also flagged additional costs related to pay increases amid a tight labour market.
The company said its Premier Inn UK brand is 40% booked in the second quarter.
Whitbread's total sales for the 13 weeks ended May 27 rose 21.8% when compared with the same period in 2020, while like-for-like sales gained 10.8%.
The hospitality industry, which has been seeing an uptick in footfall on pent-up demand, is now battling a tight labour market and higher wages.
Whitbread said it expects costs to rise by £20-30m for fiscal 2023.
