Whitbread
Senior Location Strategy & Planning Analyst
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Job Title: Senior Location Strategy Analyst
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Head office Dunstable LU5
Hybrid working: 3 days a week in the office
This role leads the development, maintenance and continuous improvement of the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan for Premier Inn and hub, transforming complex market, demand and competitive insight into clear, investment-ready decisions that shape Whitbread’s long-term growth. Acting as a vital bridge between strategy, analytics and delivery, it ensures the business invests in the right locations, formats and priorities to maximise sustainable returns. A key focus of the role is modernising Whitbread’s location strategy modelling capabilities—bringing automation, scalable tools and AI-enabled analytics into the heart of decision-making. Commercial judgement is applied throughout, grounding recommendations in real-world trading dynamics, investment considerations and long-term value creation. As the network evolves, the role will continue to grow, shaping how Whitbread identifies, evaluates and delivers future opportunities.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead Location Strategy: Own and evolve the UK Location Strategy and Network Plan, defining where to grow, what to build and how large, while balancing returns, risk and brand priorities.
- 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.
- Drive Strategic Modelling: Own and enhance core growth potential and network models, translating outputs into clear strategic choices and continuously improving assumptions, inputs and governance.
- 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.
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Why You'll Love It Here
- Bonus potential up to 20%
- 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 investment modelling.
- 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.
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We believe that everyone is unique and there should be no barriers to entry and no limits to ambition. We are committed to being an inclusive organisation that values diversity and welcomes your application whatever your background or situation.
Under-represented groups such as women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities & members of the LGBTQIA+ community (those who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans and non-binary or those who use a different LGBTQIA+ term), are strongly encouraged to build a career with us. Speak to us about workplace adjustments, part-time and flexible working. Where possible we will support this.
Job ref: 186564-4492
Advertised: 07 Jul 2026
Application closed: 18 Jul 2026
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