Business travellers looking to save money on hotel bills helped give Whitbread a strong first quarter, driving like-for-like sales at its Premier Inn budget chain by 10.7 per cent.

Business use through Whitbread’s Business Account loyalty scheme rose 40 per cent, the group said on Tuesday, providing a quarter of its Premier Inn revenue and pushing total sales at Premier Inn up 18.3 per cent in the 13 weeks to May 29.