Whitbread has announced the opening of a new Premier Inn in Cork City, Ireland, marking a significant expansion for the UK-based hospitality group.

Premier Inn Cork City Centre offers 187 bedrooms and is the first of the brand's hotels to open outside of Dublin.

It is situated at Morrison’s Quay, a historic location that was once home to the renowned Moore’s Hotel. It overlooks the south channel of the River Lee, providing a scenic setting for guests.

This development is part of Whitbread's strategy to build a network of Premier Inn hotels across Ireland.

The new Cork hotel increases Premier Inn's presence in Ireland, offering six hotels and over 1,000 bedrooms for guests to choose from.

Whitbread noted that it sees substantial potential for further expansion of the Premier Inn brand into other towns and cities within the country.

The new hotel's construction involved a sensitive redevelopment of the heritage site, integrating the new Premier Inn with three own-door office buildings that face the quay.

To staff the new hotel, Whitbread has recruited more than 40 team members following a series of recruitment events and presentations held in Cork City last year.

Whitbread Ireland development manager Matt Gent 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.”

Last month, Whitbread acquired the long leasehold interest of a Sandyford Business Park development site in Dublin, Ireland.