Premier Inn achieves practical completion in Cork
Whitbread, the UK’s largest hospitality group and owner of Premier Inn, has confirmed its most westerly hotel in Europe achieved Practical Completion last week (Friday 24th November) paving the way for opening in the early new year.
The new 187-bedroom Premier Inn at Morrisons Quay in Cork, which is developed by Greenleaf, Warren Private and built by Elliott Group, is a significant opening for Whitbread in Ireland as it the first Premier Inn to be developed outside of Dublin.
It marks the first step by the business to establishing a network of Premier Inns across Ireland – a market where Whitbread believes there is potential for 3,500 Premier Inn bedrooms across the country in time.
Matt Gent, development manager for Whitbread in Ireland, said:
“We are counting down the days until we can welcome guests to our first Premier Inn outside of Dublin in the beautiful city of Cork. The location at Morrisons Quay is perfect for our customers, right in the heart of things, and with so much going on in Cork all year-round I am very confident the hotel will trade well as soon as the doors open. The construction team has poured their hearts into creating a fantastic new hotel for us and I’m looking forward to celebrating with them when we welcome our first guests in the New Year. It will be a proud moment for all of us.”
Premier Inn Cork is part of a mixed-use development on the site of the former Moore’s hotel on the banks of the River Lee. Construction of the new hotel began in August 2021, with the new 187-bedroom Premier Inn built alongside three own-door office buildings (11, 12 and 13 Morrisons Quay) which are due to complete in December.
Recruitment for the new team to run the Cork Premier Inn is currently underway with close to 50 permanent positions available at the new hotel.
Darragh Elliott, Managing Director of Elliott Group, said:
“Reaching Practical Completion this week is a major milestone for our team in Cork who have shown exceptional commitment to preserving the integrity of the building and upholding the high standards we are known for. Though the team has a busy few weeks ahead, I am confident we will hand over the keys to Premier Inn on time in the early new year and look back with pride at what we have created in the city.”
Morrisons Quay is the third location where Whitbread has collaborated with Greenleaf and Warren Private to secure new locations for Premier Inn in Ireland.
The team led the development of the first Premier Inn to open in Dublin City Centre in 2021 as well as the acquisition of a consented development site for a 100-bedroom hotel at Ushers Quay in Dublin 8 earlier this year.
Mark Elliott, Managing Director of Greenleaf, said:
“Practical Completion of the new Premier Inn on Morissons Quay in Cork was achieved on Friday last. As was the case in all our previous dealings with Matt Gent and his team at Whitbread, the entire project was a pleasure to work on and we sincerely hope that we can continue our excellent working relationship into the future. We very much look forward to the opening of the hotel and wish Whitbread every success for the future. We are in no doubt that the Premier Inn will make a positive and lasting contribution to the hospitality and business sector in Cork City.”
“As ever, I would like to make particular mention of Darragh Elliott and his excellent team at Elliott Group. They carried out the full design and build of the hotel and completed it on time and within budget which is a significant achievement on a site as challenging as Morrisons Quay.”
The exact opening date for Premier Inn Cork together with the opening room rate will be confirmed in January 2024.
