Summary: As it is not a publicly listed company, there is no way for investors to buy Premier Inn shares directly. However, you can gain exposure to Premier Inn by investing in Whitbread, its parent company, via a regulated investing platform such as eToro.
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What is Premier Inn?
The company was founded in 1987 under the name ‘Travel Inn’ by Whitbread (LON: WTB). In 2004, Whitbread bought Premier Lodge and merged the two companies into ‘Premier Travel Inn’, shortened to ‘Premier Inn’ in 2007. As a result, Premier Inn was never a publicly traded company.
In other words, it is not possible for the public to invest in it directly.
However, indirect investing in Premier Inn is possible by buying shares in Whitbread, its parent company. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker WTB. As it accounts for roughly 70% of Whitbread’s earnings, the performance of Premier Inn is a dominant influence on the price of WTB.
How to buy Whitbread shares: step-by-step
If you have decided that investing in WTB is an acceptable alternative to buying Premier Inn shares, you can do so with the following steps:
Step 1: Choose a broker
To buy WTB shares, you must register an account with an online third-party investing platform. While plenty of such platforms exist, your stock trading style and financial goals define the most suitable one for you.
For example, some services cater to active day traders, streamlining high-frequency purchases and sales of stock. Others lean more toward passive investing and boast a design with low-risk, long-term methods in mind.
To simply and securely invest in Whitbread in the UK, consider these platforms:
1. eToro
Finding the right platform can be a long and challenging task. If you want a top-tier service without dedicating hours to searching for it, consider investing in Premier Inn with a regulated online broker eToro, a platform that provides:
- Commission-free stock trading;
- 2,000+ stocks from 17 exchanges;
- Fractional shares available;
- User-friendly platform.
Highly Rated Stock Trading & Investing Platform
-
Invest in 2,800+ stocks and other assets including 70+ cryptocurrencies and commodities.
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0% commission on buying stocks - buy in bulk or just a fraction from as little as $10. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.
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Copy top-performing traders in real time, automatically.
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eToro USA is registered with FINRA for securities trading.
2. Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
Just as effective and popular among traders, Interactive Brokers offers WTB shares with the following features:
- Commission-free stock trading;
- Global stock-trading on 90+ market centers;
- Fractional shares available;
- Extra income on fully paid shares;
- Lowest financing rates for margin accounts in the industry;
- No account minimum.
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IBKR pays up to 4.58% interest on cash balances of $10k or more
Before you start looking for the ideal candidate, consider these factors:
- Fees: Platforms like eToro offer commissions-free stock and ETF trading, a feature that future investors should strive for. That said, lower costs are highly beneficial but should not come before other vital aspects;
- Security: You must preserve your safety when buying and selling shares. Check with the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) and PRA (Prudential Regulation Authority) if they endorse your investing service and see if they offer features such as two-factor authentication (2FA) and SSL technology;
- Trading tools: Your trading habits and goals heavily influence what features you should seek in a service. Intricate options tend to cost more, so more straightforward solutions often suit traders better than complex options. If you are new to stock trading, we suggest you try beginner-friendly platforms first;
- Access to market data: Go with services that provide relevant and functional data and market research to improve the precision of your market predictions;
- Fractional stock trading: Fractional shares enable investors to buy less or more than a whole number of shares. It is an efficient way of diversifying portfolios and setting up a dollar-cost averaging strategy.
Step 2: Fund your account
Once you select your investment service and register, you must link a deposit and transfer some funds to your new account. Multiple investment platforms offer different payment methods: if you have a preferred way of connecting a deposit, ensure your chosen broker is compatible.
Today’s platforms generally provide users with ways to link their bank accounts directly and use debit cards, credit cards, and prepaid cards. Optionally, investors can use third-party services.
Note
Step 3: Research the company
Since Premier Inn is not listed on any stock exchange, you cannot buy shares in this company directly. However, you can buy WTB shares and thus gain some degree of access to Premier Inn speculation.
Before you purchase any WTB shares, we advise you to do the necessary research beforehand. You will need a great deal of available information to make the right investment decision. When researching Premier Inn or Whitbread, consider the following:
- Stock prices: Begin by confirming the current WTB share prices. Make sure to read through recent price changes and study the sources that caused them, such as the market environment or business-related occurrences;
- Financial reports: Carefully review annual and quarterly reports to discover the company’s historical performance. Good points of entry are the London Stock Exchange’s website and Premier Inn’s and Whitbread’s websites, which should display essential data such as revenue sources, expenses, and the current level of debt;
Step 4: Decide how much you want to invest
After researching the company, the next step is to decide how many shares you want to buy.
The core factors are the current stock price and the cash sum you are willing to invest in Whitbread. If you have several shares you want to buy simultaneously, feel free to use our stock average calculator and calculate the average share price easily.
Remember
Step 5: Place your order and buy Whitbread shares
You can place the order and make the transaction if you successfully concluded the previous steps. To begin with, log into your brokerage platform (eToro in our case), type in the WTB ticker in the search bar, and specify the amount.
There are a few different types of orders you can place:
- Market order: The most straightforward order you can place, the market order purchases the current price immediately after the exchange is open and the shares are available for sale;
- Limit order: A limit order goes through when the share price enters the set price range. The instructions will be performed if the price meets the set conditions only;
- Options contract: Options contracts are financial derivatives that give the buyer the right to buy or sell an underlying asset at a specified price within a specific time.
Step 6: Monitor your investment
Purchasing individual stock bears moderate to high levels of risk. Besides, it is an active trading strategy that requires you to invest your time, effort, and money. Unlike bonds, ETFs, and other passive investing assets, single-stock investments take regular monitoring and strategy adjusting to bear fruit.
Since you cannot directly purchase Premier Inn shares, you have to go along with the second best option: buying Whitbread shares. Keep in touch with Whitbread’s data and information by following finance news, press announcements, and reports on revenue streams and net income. This will enable you to determine your future asset’s financial position precisely.
The trading market environment is known for its volatility, and numerous additional factors, including price volatility, the state of the broader economy, and sector-specific events, define the best available investing route. Monitor these factors and compare them with your stock portfolio regularly to keep your portfolio in line with your investing vision.
Note
Whitbread shares price UK
Buying Whitbread shares is the best publicly available alternative to investing in Premier Inn. You can check the current price of WTB here:
Common mistakes to avoid when investing
Occasionally making a mistake happens to everyone who has tried their hands at stock investing. Mistakes can hurt your profits but do not mean a guaranteed way to lose your money. Still, you should go to lengths to limit your errors. You can do this by learning from common mistakes made by others. Some of these include:
- Lack of research: Insufficient research causes most mistakes: buying shares by gut feeling only is essentially gambling;
- Lack of strategy: Establish your investment objectives before you purchase any stock;
- Short-term thinking: Decisions led by emotions tend to jeopardize your overarching strategy. Think about the long term and resist the temporary urges or fears;
- Staking everything on one asset: A diverse portfolio is not obligatory, but it is something all traders should have. Putting everything into a single stock is extremely risky;
- Inexperienced use of leverage: Leverage implies relying on borrowed cash. It has a high potential win ratio and provides fast returns but also causes disasters during bad outcomes. Avoid overusing leverage;
- Falling prey to scams: Avoid shady deals and suspicious service providers. Always confirm that your investing service and commodities are legitimate.
Pros and cons of investing in Premier Inn
Establishing the positives and the negatives of buying Whitbread shares will help you decide whether it is the right choice for your investment. Some of the things to consider include:
Pros
- Adaptable and growing market: Since the end of the pandemic, Premier Inn and the whole hospitality industry have been a growing market. On top of that, the sector maintains steady returns due to adaptable services that reflect supply and demand needs;
- Diversification: Investing in Premier Inn and Whitbread is a great way to diversify your portfolio and decrease the overall risk of your investment;
- Brand visibility: Hotel chains like Premier Inn have become reliable names in the industry. With substantial investment into brand recognition, it has become a source of stability which is a green flag for future investors.
Cons
- Sector-specific volatility: The pandemic showed that global events could highly impact the industry. From natural disasters and geopolitics to the state of the global economy, a range of potential occurrences can reduce demand and cause prices to plummet;
- Online travel advisor sensitivity: As the Internet shapes the opinion of consumers, online travel advisors make or break the future of hospitality companies. While Premier Inn has a solid reputation that is difficult to undermine, it still has to make extra efforts to cater to the algorithm;
- Changing consumer habits: It is difficult for investors and hotel chains alike to predict changing consumer habits. For example, the emergence of apps like Airbnb rattled traditional hospitality businesses. If hotels fail to track these habit patterns and adapt, they risk loss.
Conclusion
You cannot buy Premier Inn shares as no stock exchange lists them. However, you can invest in Whitbread, its parent company, and gain substantial access to Premier Inn value speculation.
This guide gives detailed instructions on buying Premier Inn shares in the UK and instructions on staying safe when investing and increasing your chance of success.
Disclaimer: The content on this site should not be considered investment advice. Investing is speculative. When investing, your capital is at risk.
FAQs about buying Premier Inn shares
What is Premier Inn?
Premier Inn is the largest hotel chain in the UK, with over 840 hotels and 83,000 rooms. Premier Inn has facilities in Ireland, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Germany.
How to invest in Premier Inn?
Unfortunately, investors cannot purchase Premier Inn shares. However, you can buy shares in its parent company, Whitbread, and thus benefit from Premier Inn’s performance using an online investing service like eToro.
How to buy Whitbread shares?
The best way to buy WTB is to use eToro as a third-party brokerage platform.
Where to buy Whitbread shares?
You can buy Whitbread shares at the London Stock Exchange. Our recommendation is to go with eToro.
Highly Rated Stock Trading & Investing Platform
-
Invest in 2,800+ stocks and other assets including 70+ cryptocurrencies and commodities.
-
0% commission on buying stocks - buy in bulk or just a fraction from as little as $10. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.
-
Copy top-performing traders in real time, automatically.
-
eToro USA is registered with FINRA for securities trading.
