Senior Location Strategy & Planning Analyst

Whitbread PLC; Dunstable, Houghton Regis; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus up to 15%

Pension contributions matched up to 10

Up to 60% off stays with Premier Inn &

Job summary

Whitbread PLC is seeking a strategic, commercially minded analyst to shape where we invest next. You will own and evolve the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan, turning complex market and performance data into investment-ready recommendations guiding capital decisions for Premier Inn growth.

In this high-impact role, you will modernise location planning with automation, scalable modelling tools and AI-enabled analytics to improve forecasting and decision-making across Whitbread's estate,

Qualifications

• Own and evolve the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan.
• Produce quarterly outlooks on market dynamics and datasets.

Responsibilities

• Lead Location Strategy — Own and evolve the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan, ensure its up to date after meetings and status updates
• Shape Market Insight— Act as the subject‑matter expert on UK hotel market dynamics, producing quarterly outlooks and governing competitor and market datasets to maintain a single source of truth.
• Modernise Analytics— Lead the shift toward automated, scalable and AI‑enabled modelling, applying machine‑learning techniques to strengthen forecasting, scenario testing and cannibalisation logic while keeping outputs explainable.
• Influence Senior Stakeholders— Partner with Property, Finance and Strategy teams to guide investment decisions, applying commercial judgement across all areas to maximise long‑term value creation.

Skills

Strategic analytics

Forecasting

Data governance

Excel/Python

Job description

At Whitbread, we're home to the UK's number one Budget hotel brand, with a network of around 85,000 Premier Inn and hub bedrooms across the UK.

As we continue to evolve and grow, we're looking for a strategic, commercially minded analyst to shape where we invest next.

This is a high-impact role at the heart of Whitbread's growth strategy, responsible for developing and maintaining the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan. You'll turn complex market, demand, competitor and performance data into clear, investment-ready recommendations that influence millions of pounds of capital investment decisions and determine where Premier Inn grows in the future.

Working closely with Property, Finance, Strategy and Insight teams, you'll help answer some of Whitbread's most important questions: Where should we grow? Which locations and formats offer the greatest opportunity? How do we maximise returns from our existing and future estate?

You'll also play a key role in modernising our location planning capability, introducing automation, scalable modelling tools and AI-enabled analytics to improve forecasting, decision-making and long-term value creation.

What you'll do

• Lead Location Strategy — Own and evolve the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan, ensure its up to date after meetings and status updates
• Shape Market Insight— Act as the subject‑matter expert on UK hotel market dynamics, producing quarterly outlooks and governing competitor and market datasets to maintain a single source of truth.
• Modernise Analytics— Lead the shift toward automated, scalable and AI‑enabled modelling, applying machine‑learning techniques to strengthen forecasting, scenario testing and cannibalisation logic while keeping outputs explainable.
• Influence Senior Stakeholders— Partner with Property, Finance and Strategy teams to guide investment decisions, applying commercial judgement across all areas to maximise long‑term value creation.

Why you'll love it here

• Bonus potential up to 15%
• Pension contributions matched up to 10%
• Up to 60% off stays with Premier inn and Hub

What you'll need

• Ability to take full end to end ownership of the Strategic Growth Plan, working with stakeholders across acquisition, delivery, insight and strategy teams to align inputs and translate market, demand and supply insights into clear, actionable growth recommendations.
• Experience owning and maintaining strategic datasets, ensuring data quality, governance and accuracy across multiple sources to support critical business decisions.
• Strong quantitative modelling and analytical skills(Excel and/or Python), including forecasting, scenario analysis and investmentmodelling.
• Ability to build robust location-level insight, integrating demand, supply, competitor and market dynamics to identify opportunities, risks and priorities.
• Proven commercial judgement and communication skills, translating complex analysis into clear, evidence-based recommendations that influence investment and strategic decisions.