Premier Inn has opened its first hotel in the South Hams, with the 106-room Dartmouth hotel bringing 30 jobs and a new option for visitors to the waterside town.

The hotel, which opened on October 7, is owned by Whitbread PLC, the hospitality group behind the UK’s largest hotel brand.

According to a Whitbread spokesperson, the hotel includes the company’s latest room designs, including its Premier Plus rooms.

They added that of the 30 people employed when the hotel opened, 27 were recruited from Dartmouth and surrounding villages.

The opening follows several years of planning for the development at Little Cotton Farm, where the site had outline planning permission granted in June 2024.

When the proposals were discussed, most Dartmouth town councillors welcomed the prospect of local employment and reasonably priced accommodation, as well as the potential to attract more visitors.

However, they also raised concerns about transport links and called for a bus stop or courtesy bus to encourage guests to travel into town without their cars.

The hotel does offer 96 chargeable parking spaces for its 106 rooms, including 10 electric vehicle charging points.

Parking provision was a concern raised during public consultation in 2024, but Whitbread said the number of spaces was calculated on the basis of an estimated 80 per cent room occupancy.

Louise Woodruff, Whitbread’s Acquisitions Manager, said: “The opening of Premier Inn Dartmouth is a significant milestone for Whitbread and one we’ve been working towards for many years.

“Dartmouth has long been a target location for us, and we’re delighted to have brought our newest hotel to one of the UK’s most popular coastal destinations.

“The new Dartmouth Premier Inn strengthens our presence in South Devon where we see huge potential, creates new jobs for the local community and gives guests access to Premier Inn’s latest room and restaurant offer.”

Whitbread had previously explored the possibility of a hotel at the derelict Rope Walk site in Kingsbridge, when plans for an estimated £10 million investment for an 85-bedroom hotel were reported.

The company subsequently shelved the proposal after a public consultation deemed the project unviable.

Following the Dartmouth opening, Whitbread said the hotel is expected to appeal to both business and leisure travellers, with leisure visitors anticipated to be particularly important.

The new hotel adds to Dartmouth’s accommodation offer, but its longer-term contribution to the town’s tourism economy will depend partly on the visitors it attracts and the extent to which they spend money at local businesses.