EasyJet boss a good fit for Whitbread

Budget hotels are like aeroplanes without wings. The game is about filling the beds/seats at the best price while persuading the customers to buy a few extras from the bar/trolley. That, presumably, was part of the thinking at Whitbread, owner of Premier Inns, in recruiting Andy Harrison from easyJet to succeed the long-serving Alan Parker as chief executive. More importantly, Harrison is highly regarded. You could almost call it an uncontroversial appointment. Judgment, however, must be reserved until we see how many half-price shares Harrison has been awarded, which is the effect of Whitbread agreeing to match its new recruit's investment. Such schemes are sold to shareholders as aligning the interests of management and all that – but the size of the award is the critical thing and no details were forthcoming today.