Premier Inn owner Whitbread has increased its target for hotel rooms in Ireland to 5,000, up 30pc from its previous goal of 3,500.
Whitbread believes in the growth potential of the Irish market due to the country’s strong economy, low unemployment rate, and predicted rise in international visitors.
Ireland contributed €18.5m to Whitbread’s revenue of €3.45bn for its 2024 financial year, showing the company’s success in the country.
The company plans to target locations with strong leisure and business economies, including Belfast, Cork, Galway and Limerick cities, towns like Killarney, Kilkenny, Kinsale, Sligo, Westport and Tralee, and five new locations around Dublin such as Heuston and Connolly stations, south docklands, Dublin 2 and Sandycove.
Whitbread launched Premier Inn in Ireland in 2018 when it acquired a development site in Dublin city centre and now operates 14 Premier Inn hotels in Ireland, five in Dublin, three in Belfast and one each in Bangor, Carrickfergus, Coleraine, Derry and Lisburn and employs more than 200 people across the country.
Matt Gent, development manager for Whitbread in Ireland, said “we believe there are many further opportunities for Premier Inn in inner and outer Dublin and are confident the brand will perform well in towns and cities across Ireland with strong local business economies and drivers of year-round tourist demand. It continues to be an exciting time for us in the country.”
