Hotel and restaurant group Whitbread reported a 43 per cent rise in profits to £151m for the six months to September.

The company attributed the performance to the fast growth of its hotels business, Premier Inns, and Costa Coffee, which it claims has now become the second biggest coffee chain in the world.

Whitbread reported a 14.5 per cent rise in revenues to £805.4m across its businesses and a 7.8 per cent increase in group like-for-like sales.

Revenues rose 14 per cent at Premier, which saw the opening of nearly 800 new rooms. The company plans to open another 1,700 rooms across the UK.

Costa saw a 27.7per cent rise in revenues helped by a new loyalty scheme and product offerings. The 1,700-strong chain plans another 150 outlets globally by the end of the year.

Also contributing to the revenue figures was £14.2m from Coffeeheaven, an Eastern European coffee shop operator which Whitbread purchased in February, the Financial Times reports.