Multinational caterer, pub and hotel operator Whitbread increased its like-for-like sales by 3.4 per cent in the 13 weeks to June 3.

Its four-star Marriott hotel chain outperformed the rest of the group, with a jump of six per cent, although the downmarket, budget chain Travel Inn was only just behind, with a 5.9 per cent hike.

Outgoing chief executive David Thomas said: “Whitbread’s brands have continued to perform well. Marriott is now achieving healthy growth although in this quarter it has benefited from comparison with the depressed London market of a year ago,”

The Whitbread board of directors, he added, expects further progress in the remainder of this financial year and beyond “in terms of organic growth, of the group’s market leading leisure brands, operating performance and more efficient use of shareholders’ property assets”.