Whitbread has secured planning consent for a new 174-room Premier Inn hotel to the east of Cork city centre in Ireland.
The company has set its sights on achieving a network of 5,000 Premier Inn rooms across Ireland, with six hotels currently trading in the country, including one in Cork.
Construction of the new Cork hotel is expected to commence in 2026 with a target opening in 2028.
Matt Gent, development manager for Ireland, said: “A key ingredient to Premier Inn’s success is its wide customer appeal. The brand works equally well in popular towns and leisure locations as it does in global destinations such as Dublin, London, Berlin and Dubai. It’s one of the reasons why we believe so strongly in the opportunity for Premier Inn in locations right across Ireland – as well as in Dublin – and why we uplifted our network target to 5,000 Premier Inn rooms and eleven target regional locations.
“We have always felt very welcome in Cork ever since we opened the doors to our first hotel in January 2024. Securing a planning grant for a second hotel is wonderful news for us and our customers and I’m grateful to everyone who has been involved in getting us to this stage. With our success here, I am hoping it won’t be long before I can share more positive news of our growth across the country and take another step in delivering against our ambitions for 5,000 Premier Inn rooms in Ireland.”
