Premier Inn plans first Cork project

The famous Moores Hotel in the city centre is set for a new lease of life as its new owners were announced this week.

The Premier Inn hotel group, a UK chain of hotels, announced plans on Tuesday to renovate the Morrison’s Island building into a 183-roomed hotel along with three adjoining protected premises which will be converted into offices.

Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn working with its development partners Greenleaf Group and Warren Private, has secured a deal for the new hotel in Cork city centre, marking its first site in Ireland outside of Dublin.

Kevin Murray, Head of Acquisitions for Whitbread in Ireland, said: “Securing a new Premier Inn hotel at Morrisons Quay is a major milestone in our expansion into Ireland as it marks our first site outside of Dublin. Cork has an exciting future as a cultural and educational centre, so we see real potential in the business and leisure markets here. With significant additional bedroom requirements, we’re actively seeking freehold and leasehold opportunities for Premier Inn right across the country.”

Mark Elliott, Director of Dublin-based Greenleaf Group, said: “The proposed development at Morrison’s Island is an important regeneration scheme for Cork. It covers a prominent and vacant city block on Morrison’s Island.

“The objective behind the proposed development is to re-utilise the existing and protected buildings, which are currently neglected, and create a vibrant new building of the highest quality on the remaining land. We hope that the proposal will be well received by Cork City Council and we look forward to working with all stakeholders during the planning and development of the site.”

After growing in Dublin and Cork, Whitbread said it sees the potential for Premier Inn hotels in other cities including Galway, Limerick and Killarney. The business is seeking sites as freeholds, leaseholds, office to hotel conversions as well as going concern purchases.