New 187-bedroom hotel springboards Premier Inn to further growth across Ireland
Whitbread PLC, the UK’s largest hotel business and owner of Premier Inn, has opened the doors to the most westerly hotel at Cork City, Ireland.
The 187-bedroom hotel is the first Premier Inn to open outside of Dublin and represents a significant moment for the business as it builds a network of Premier Inn hotels across Ireland.
Including the new Cork hotel, Premier Inn customers can now choose from six hotels and more than 1,000 bedrooms across Ireland, and Whitbread believes there is significant potential to expand the brand further into other towns and cities across the country.
Matt Gent, Development Manager for Whitbread in Ireland, said:
“Premier Inn Cork is an important milestone for Whitbread in Ireland. The hotel gives us a presence outside of Dublin for the first time and sets us up for further growth in towns and cities across Ireland as we work to deliver a network of Premier Inns across the country.
“Looking at the new Cork City Centre Premier Inn and it’s hard not to be impressed by the quality of the development we have created with our partners Greenleaf, Warren Private and Elliott Group, and I have absolutely no doubt that the hotel will be a huge hit with our customers given the strength of Cork’s business economy and the amazing offer for leisure travellers in the city.
“We’ve grown a lot in the last twelve months in Ireland and we will keep working hard to expand our presence across the country as we respond to an undersupply of budget hotel rooms in Ireland.”
Premier Inn Cork City Centre is located at Morrison’s Quay overlooking the south channel of the River Lee on a site that once housed the famous Moore’s Hotel in the city. In a sensitive redevelopment of the heritage location, the new Premier Inn hotel was constructed alongside three own-door office buildings fronting onto the quay (11,12 and 13 Morrisons Quay).
More than 40 team members have been recruited to welcome guests to the new Premier Inn following a series of successful recruitment events and presentations in the city in 2023.
Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at the Irish Government, said:
“I’m delighted to welcome the Premier Inn to Cork with this multi-million euro investment and initial 40-strong workforce. Cork is the fastest growing city in Ireland and people from home and abroad are eager to visit so with that in mind, I wish the Premier Inn team every success with the opening.”
The Cork City Centre Premier Inn was developed by Warren Private and Greenleaf, with Cavan-based Elliott Group leading the construction of the hotel and office buildings. Construction work began in August 2021 and Practical Completion of the hotel was achieved on 24th November 2023.
Mark Elliott, Managing Director of Greenleaf, said:
“The entire project was a pleasure to work on and we wish Whitbread every success for the future, here in Cork and elsewhere across Ireland. As ever, I would like to make particular mention of Darragh Elliott and his excellent team at Elliott Group as they carried out the full design and build of the hotel and completed it on time and within budget which is a significant achievement for a site as challenging as Morrisons Quay.”
For more information on this project visit here.
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