Premier Inn owner Whitbread PLC recently opened its brand new Premier Inn in the heart of Cork, Ireland. The opening represents a significant milestone as the first Premier Inn outside Dublin, underlining the brand's expansion into the Irish market.
The Cork City Centre Premier Inn development is a joint venture between Warren Private and Greenleaf, with construction led by Cavan-based Elliott Group. Construction work commenced in August 2021 and was completed on 24 November 2023.
Located in Morrison's Quay, the 187-bedroom hotel is situated on the site that was once home to Moore's Hotel. The redevelopment of this heritage site involved the construction of the new Premier Inn next to three office buildings facing the quay (11, 12 and 13 Morrisons Quay).
With the addition of Premier Inn Cork City Centre, the brand now has six hotels and over 1,000 rooms across Ireland. Whitbread sees this as a promising opportunity to expand the brand in cities across the country. Recruitment efforts for the new hotel have resulted in the hiring of over 40 team members.
“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.
“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.” - Matt Gent, Development Manager for Whitbread in Ireland
“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.” - Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment at the Irish Government
“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.” - Mark Elliott, Managing Director of Greenleaf
